Final answer:
Kin selection is a type of natural selection that favors the survival and reproduction of an organism's close relatives, even at a cost to the individual. Examples of kin selection in nature include social insects like ants and bees, as well as ground squirrels that give alarm calls to alert kin of potential predators.
Step-by-step explanation:
Kin selection is a type of natural selection that favors the survival and reproduction of an organism's close relatives, even at a cost to the individual. There is evidence of kin selection operating in nature, such as in social insects like ants and bees where workers sacrifice their own reproductive potential to help raise siblings. Another example is found in ground squirrels, where individuals give alarm calls to alert kin of potential predators.
It is important to distinguish the operation of selection at the level of individuals from kin selection. Selection at the individual level involves traits that directly benefit the survival and reproductive success of the individual. In contrast, kin selection involves traits that benefit the survival and reproductive success of relatives, even if they come at a cost to the individual.