Question

By spending lots of energy on raising young, ___-selected parents perform acts of altruism known as ___________.

1) K : inclusive fitness
2) K : reciprocal altruism
3) r : reciprocal altruism
4) r : inclusive fitness

Answer 1

The correct answer is option 1: By spending lots of energy on raising young, K-selected parents perform acts of altruism known as inclusive fitness, enhancing the survival and reproductive success of their offspring.

Step-by-step explanation:

By spending lots of energy on raising young, K-selected parents perform acts of altruism known as inclusive fitness. K-selected species are adapted to stable, predictable environments and often give long-term care to their offspring. In doing so, they are increasing their inclusive fitness by ensuring their genes are passed on through fewer, well-cared-for offspring. Contrary to this, r-selected species are those that produce many offspring which receive no parental care, and these species are more associated with unpredictable environments and a strategy of reproducing quickly. Altruistic behaviors in K-selected species, such as elephants or primates, help improve the survival chances of their closely related offspring, hence increasing the parents' inclusive fitness.