Question

Altruistic behaviours between closely related animals are selected for because they ______.

Options

• reduce fighting between species

• ensure survival of the altruistic individual

• force individuals to cooperate with one another and so increase population growth

• increase the frequency of the altruistic individual’s genes in the next generation

Answer 1

Altruistic behaviours between closely related animals are selected for because they increase the frequency of the altruistic individual’s genes in the next generation.

Explanation:

This happens as altruism benefits close relatives who share many genes, thereby enhancing the overall reproductive success of kin groups. Such behaviour, called inclusive fitness, explains how self-sacrificing actions by individuals help their relatives survive and pass on shared genes, even if the altruist itself may not survive or reproduce directly.