Kin Selection Research Paper

Kin selection is an evolutionary strategy that puts a relatives own reproductive success above the actor (Hamilton, 1964). Even if an actor cannot pass on their genes, whether it is because they are infertile or because they cannot find a mate, if they help a sibling or parent by raising other offspring, they make sure that their genes are passed on to the next generation. When an actor helps raise siblings or cousins, those siblings and cousins have at least 25% of the actors own genes in them that they can pass on. In certain primates, such as tamarins, tend to have twins every birth cycle. Taking care of twins can be really hard, so the adult tamarins rely on older offspring or other close related relatives to help raise the new sets of offspring. When primates mate, only the mother can be certain of the fact that she is the mother. The father, though, cannot be sure if he is the father or not. Many primates, such as Chimps, will conduct infanticide within groups so that he may breed with the females in that group. To ensure that this does not happen, females will mate with multiple males, ensuring that the males or male that is within the group will no commit infanticide. This act confuses the male, making him question whether or not that offspring is his, so instead of risking his fitness, he will protect the offspring and the female like he knew for sure that the offspring was his. But how can the male know for sure if that offspring belongs to him or not? Some researchers have discussed and experimented with the theory of kin recognition (Blaustein, 1983).

Kin recognition is a way for males to be sure about which offspring is theirs. When recognizing kin, many people believe that smells that come from a specific parent is...

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...xperiments stated in this paper show that while many humans may not be able to tell others apart at times, they really can by simple cues and comparisons to themselves. The same can be said for animals. While not all animals avoid incest, certain ones can by the hypothesis that those that look like the actor(s) are and can be related to them, so they should not breed with them. This hypothesis tells researchers that while it may not look like family groups can tell each other apart, due to certain acts in the group, they really can. Fathers are able to know which offspring is theirs, thus ensuring investment to that offspring, so that the offspring can survive to a reproductive age. Kin recognition can also be seen as a mechanism not only ensures investment in the right offspring, but also an investment in the relative reproductive success of kin (Blaustein, 1983).