Final answer:
The patterns of alarm calls given by black-tailed prairie dogs provide insight into the operation of kin selection.
Step-by-step explanation:
The patterns of alarm calls given by black-tailed prairie dogs tell us about the operation of kin selection. Kin selection is a type of natural selection that favors the reproductive success of an organism's relatives, even at the expense of its own survival or reproduction. In the case of prairie dogs, when a look-out observes an approaching predator, they give an aural alarm cry to communicate the information to other individuals in the group, who then run back to safety. This behavior benefits the entire group, as it increases the chances of survival for related individuals who share genes with the caller.