The Tasmanian native hen (Gallinula mortierii) is a flightless bird in which males often outnumber females....

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Biology

The Tasmanian native hen (Gallinula mortierii) is a flightlessbird in which males often outnumber females. In this system, eithera pair (male and female) raises offspring, or a trio (a pair helpedby a subordinate male) raises offspring. The subordinate male in atrio is usually the brother of the male of the pair. Given thefollowing data: a. First year breeding pairs with no helpersaverage 1.1 offspring produced during that year. b. First yearbreeding trios (Male and Female + subordinate male) produce 4.1offspring on average. c. Experienced pairs produce about 5.5offspring per year without helpers d. Experienced pairs withhelpers (i.e. a trio) produce about 6.5 offspring per year. If afirst year male is faced with three choices -- breed on its own,help a brother in his first year, or help an older, experiencedbrother -- which should it choose and why? Show your work andcalculations, and state which of the three options is best, secondbest, and worst. (Remember, helpers are helping raisenephews/nieces, not siblings).

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The above situation can be explained under the concept of inclusive fitness and altruism Inclusive fitness is a theory which states that the genetic success of an organism depends upon the cooperation altruistic behavior behavior of an organism that benefits others at its own expense and social interactions Altruism might evolve as a trait as long as its benefits are seen in individuals that are genetically related to the donor See Answer

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