The Evolutionary Advantage of Altruistic Behavior in Wasp Populations

What is necessary for altruistic behavior to persist in a population of solitary and independent wasps?

For altruistic behavior to persist in this population, what mechanism is necessary and why?

Answer:

For altruistic behavior to persist in this population, kin selection or inclusive fitness theory is necessary because it promotes the survival and reproduction of individuals who share genetic relatedness and increases the overall fitness of the population.

Altruistic behavior refers to actions that benefit others at a cost to oneself. In the case of the wasps, when a female wasp visits a neighbor's nest to obtain additional food, it can be seen as an act of altruism. However, for this behavior to persist in the population, there must be a mechanism that ensures the survival and reproduction of individuals who exhibit altruistic behavior.

Kin selection theory suggests that altruistic behavior can be explained by the benefits it provides to genetically related individuals. In the case of the wasps, if the visiting wasp and the neighbor are closely related, such as siblings or offspring, there is a higher likelihood of shared genetic material. By providing food to their genetically related neighbors, the wasps indirectly promote the survival and reproduction of their own genes.

Therefore, for altruistic behavior to persist in this population of wasps, the presence of genetic relatedness is necessary, as it provides an evolutionary advantage through the principles of kin selection or inclusive fitness.