KIN SELECTION Meaning and
Definition
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Kin selection is a biological concept that refers to the evolutionary phenomenon where individuals favor the survival and reproduction of their close relatives, often at a cost to their own reproductive success. This concept is rooted in the idea that certain traits or behaviors that enhance the fitness of relatives are more likely to be passed on to future generations.
Kin selection operates through the well-known mechanism of natural selection, but it specifically focuses on the role of genetic relatedness in shaping behavior and evolutionary outcomes. According to this theory, individuals are more likely to altruistically help relatives because they share a certain percentage of their genetic material, increasing the chances that genes beneficial to their own survival will be passed down to the next generation.
This concept was first proposed by British biologist W.D. Hamilton in 1964 and has since been widely studied and supported in the field of evolutionary biology. It explains the occurrence of altruistic behaviors, such as sacrificing one's own life to protect siblings or providing resources to offspring, even if it poses a risk to an individual's own reproductive success.
Overall, kin selection describes an adaptive strategy in which individuals prioritize the welfare and reproductive success of their relatives to perpetuate shared genetic material, ultimately enhancing the chances of gene survival in a population.
Etymology of KIN SELECTION
The term "kin selection" was coined by the English biologist W.D. Hamilton, who developed the concept as a part of his theory of inclusive fitness. The word "kin" in "kin selection" refers to individuals who are genetically related, such as family members or close relatives. "Selection" refers to the evolutionary process by which certain traits or behaviors become more or less common in a population over generations. Therefore, "kin selection" describes the process in which individuals prioritize the survival and reproductive success of their genetically related kin, sometimes at their own expense, as a strategy for increasing their overall inclusive fitness. The term was introduced by Hamilton in his influential 1964 paper "The Genetical Evolution of Social Behaviour".
