Everyone is aware that species help each other, however they do it even if it puts their own lives at risk. A question frequently asked is whether they perform these selfless acts with the intention of being rewarded back or if they perform them with no aim of reward or gain. This is the question of altruism. Altruism is defined as an act that an individual engages in, that presents a benefit to the recipient but comes at a cost to the individual presenting the act. In evolutionary terms the costs and rewards are based on reproductive success and fitness, and this is measured by the number of copies of a gene that is passed on to generations. The existence of altruism is an issue for Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, as natural
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This is because relatives have a high chance of possessing and sharing a gene and fitness is measured by the number of copies of a gene passed on through generations. There are two ways in which they can increase their fitness; by mating and directly passing on genes to their offspring, or indirectly by helping other individuals, who are likely to carry the same gene, reproduce successfully. This indirect and direct fitness is known as inclusive fitness and allows for altruism to develop natural selection if the behaviours allows for a genetic relative to successfully reproduce more of a gene than the individual performing the …show more content…
Mothers can always be certain of their genetic contribution to their child, while Fathers have to go with the assumption that they are their offspring’s father. It has been suggested that a males’ investment to the offspring is related to the cues of fidelity and resemblance of their child (Cartwright). Apicella and Marlowe conducted a questionnaire for men, asking them about their investment, the resemblance of their child and their assumption on their partners’ faithfulness. They found a correlation on the men who reported greater investment in their child, had a greater perceived resemblance and they perceived the child’s mother to be
This is because relatives have a high chance of possessing and sharing a gene and fitness is measured by the number of copies of a gene passed on through generations. There are two ways in which they can increase their fitness; by mating and directly passing on genes to their offspring, or indirectly by helping other individuals, who are likely to carry the same gene, reproduce successfully. This indirect and direct fitness is known as inclusive fitness and allows for altruism to develop natural selection if the behaviours allows for a genetic relative to successfully reproduce more of a gene than the individual performing the …show more content…
Mothers can always be certain of their genetic contribution to their child, while Fathers have to go with the assumption that they are their offspring’s father. It has been suggested that a males’ investment to the offspring is related to the cues of fidelity and resemblance of their child (Cartwright). Apicella and Marlowe conducted a questionnaire for men, asking them about their investment, the resemblance of their child and their assumption on their partners’ faithfulness. They found a correlation on the men who reported greater investment in their child, had a greater perceived resemblance and they perceived the child’s mother to be