Re: Hamilton's rule
- From: an588@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Catherine Woodgold)
- Date: Sat, 19 Nov 2005 23:22:59 -0500 (EST)
Someone in some post in the last couple of weeks said that
genes for altruism towards distant relatives don't tend to
propagate. I disagree with this.
Suppose the following scenario: a species is organized
into large groups such that each group almost always breeds within
itself, not interbreeding much with other groups. Suppose
the groups are distinguished by visible phenological differences
but are not restricted to geographical areas. Suppose some
groups have genes that promote altruism towards individuals
within their group. If the benefit exceeds the cost, then
the genes will promote prosperity of the group, which will
tend to take up a larger geographical space. At the same
time, altruism genes within the group will tend to diminish
in frequency; the rates of these two opposing processes
depend on the ratio of cost to benefit. If the benefit is
large enough, the process of altruistic groups growing and
splitting into smaller groups and taking over territory or
habitat from non-altruistic groups will support the altruism
genes faster than those genes diminish in frequency within
each group.
.
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