Question

Altruistic behavior in groups of related individuals is most likely driven by kin selection since related individuals would share DNA.

Which of the following pieces of evidence would be most likely to weaken this argument?

a. Observing altruistic behavior in unrelated individuals within a group.

b. Demonstrating that kin selection is prevalent in various animal species.

B. Data showing that only distantly related individuals are most likely to perform altruistic behaviors in order to protect each other

d. Providing examples of altruistic behavior that do not involve genetic relatedness.

e. Proving that kin selection operates solely at the individual level, not the group level.

Answer 1

The evidence most likely to weaken the argument for kin selection being the driver for altruistic behavior is the observation of such behavior among unrelated individuals, suggesting additional factors like reciprocal altruism contribute to these behaviors.

Step-by-step explanation:

The piece of evidence most likely to weaken the argument that altruistic behavior in groups of related individuals is driven by kin selection would be 'a. Observing altruistic behavior in unrelated individuals within a group.' This suggests that there are other factors at play beyond genetic relatedness.

Kin selection theory posits that altruistic behaviors are most likely to occur among related individuals because it aids in the survival and reproduction of shared genes. However, observing altruism among those who do not share a significant amount of DNA challenges this theory. For example, reciprocal altruism is a form of altruistic behavior where individuals help each other with the expectation that the favor will be returned, despite not being relatives.

Social insects like bees and ants show altruism within their colonies by taking care of their queen and kin. While this fits kin selection, altruism shown towards unrelated individuals suggests a different or additional evolutionary mechanism is involved, such as reciprocal altruism. Reciprocity in altruistic behaviors occurs in some monkey species, indicating that altruism can also be based on mutual benefits rather than just genetic kinship.