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Author Topic:   What is the origin of instictive behavior to care for our kin?
Ragged
Member (Idle past 3553 days)
Posts: 47
From: Purgatory
Joined: 10-26-2005


Message 16 of 17 (523547)
09-11-2009 1:40 AM


why did we first start caring for our kin?
Alright. That makes sense so far.
So now to extand this behavior to include all kin. How does it exactely occur? Is it that organisms that use r-stratagy care for all their kin or just their offspring?
Why do we care for our kin without realizing that the reason for it is actually to protect our genes? I understand that this behavior has been evolutionarily ingrained in us, therefor no realization of the underlying reason is neccesssery. But how did this behavior first arise? Why did the organisms which first started to exhibit this kind of behavior all of the sudden felt the need to protect their kin. I just can't wrap my head around how genes can make an organism aware that protecting another organism is necessary in order to help save copies of the genes belonging to that organism.

Replies to this message:
 Message 17 by Wounded King, posted 09-11-2009 4:22 AM Ragged has not replied

  
Wounded King
Member
Posts: 4149
From: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Joined: 04-09-2003


Message 17 of 17 (523552)
09-11-2009 4:22 AM
Reply to: Message 16 by Ragged
09-11-2009 1:40 AM


Re: why did we first start caring for our kin?
Is it that organisms that use r-stratagy care for all their kin or just their offspring?
There is some evidence from primate studies that maternal brothers act together cooperatively, and this is reflected in the genetic make up, see Langergraber et al (2007).
I just can't wrap my head around how genes can make an organism aware that protecting another organism is necessary in order to help save copies of the genes belonging to that organism.
They don't have to make them aware of anything, the genes just need to influence their behaviour. Genes which produce behavioural traits which lead to the preservation/ propagation of those genes in multiple organisms will tend to increase in frequency in a population. This is true whether that increase is through production of multiple low investment offspring or a few high investment offspring, although which is most suitable will depend on the organisms environment and niche.
TTFN,
WK

This message is a reply to:
 Message 16 by Ragged, posted 09-11-2009 1:40 AM Ragged has not replied

  
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