Date: September 10, 2018
Source: Lund University
Up to
now, researchers have believed that birds stay at home and altruistically help
raise younger siblings because this is the only way to pass on genes when you
cannot breed yourself. But this idea is only partially true. A new study from
Lund University in Sweden shows that birds benefit from being helpful because
it also increases their chances of reproducing in the future.
"The
results show that being helpful not only benefits family members, but also
increases the chances they will inherit the breeding group, which is like
winning the reproductive jackpot," says biologist Charlie Cornwallis.
Determining
whether being altruistic early in life benefits an individual's future
reproduction is extremely challenging in social vertebrates -- most species
out-live the field careers of biologists. There has also been little incentive
to do so. Passing on genes indirectly by helping relatives explains altruism,
so why look further?
No comments:
Post a Comment