Final answer:
The incorrect statement among the options provided is that altruistic behaviors decrease inclusive fitness. In contrast, these behaviors can increase inclusive fitness as they help genetically related individuals, thereby indirectly passing on shared genes, and are favored by kin selection.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that is not accurate is: "altruistic behaviors decrease inclusive fitness". Altruistic behaviors do not necessarily decrease inclusive fitness; in fact, they can increase it when these behaviors help relatives to reproduce, thus passing on shared genes.
Direct fitness relates to an individual's genetic contribution to the next generation through personal reproduction. On the other hand, inclusive fitness is an individual's combined fitness, including both direct and indirect genetic contributions to successive generations. Indirect contributions increase when an individual helps relatives, who share some proportion of their genes, to survive and reproduce. This is where kin selection comes into play, which is the selection for traits that improve the fitness of relatives, enhancing indirect fitness.
Therefore, the correct explanation of altruistic behaviors is that they may increase overall fitness within a family group by aiding the survival and reproduction of genetically related individuals. This form of selection is known as kin selection. These altruistic actions, although they may decrease the individual's direct fitness by not reproducing themselves, increase the inclusive fitness by ensuring the spread of shared genes through relatives' offspring.