Science need not be dull and bogged down by jargon, as Richard Dawkins proves in this entertaining look at evolution. The themes he takes up are the concepts of altruistic and selfish behaviour; the genetical definition of selfish interest; the evolution of aggressive behaviour; kinship theory; sex ratio theory; reciprocal altruism; deceit; and the natural selection of sex differences. Readership: general; students of biology, zoology, animal behaviour, psychology.

The Selfish Gene

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/197/4300/215.full.pdf

Ecology, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems

Human cooperation is an evolutionary puzzle. Unlike other creatures, people frequently cooperate with genetically unrelated strangers, often in large groups, with people they will never meet again, and when reputation gains are small or absent. These patterns of cooperation cannot be explained by the nepotistic motives associated with the evolutionary theory of kin selection and the selfish motives associated with signalling theory or the theory of reciprocal altruism. Here we show experimentally that the altruistic punishment of defectors is a key motive for the explanation of cooperation. Altruistic punishment means that individuals punish, although the punishment is costly for them and yields no material gain. We show that cooperation flourishes if altruistic punishment is possible, and breaks down if it is ruled out. The evidence indicates that negative emotions towards defectors are the proximate mechanism behind altruistic punishment. These results suggest that future study of the evolution of human cooperation should include a strong focus on explaining altruistic punishment.

/pdf/altruistic-punishment-in-humans-4yytzjzmsy.pdf

Altruistic punishment in humans.

Human cooperation is an evolutionary puzzle. Unlike other creatures, people frequently cooperate with genetically unrelated strangers, often in large groups, with people they will never meet again, and when reputation gains are small or absent. These patterns of cooperation cannot be explained by the nepotistic motives associated with the evolutionary theory of kin selection and the sel®sh motives associated with signalling theory or the theory of reciprocal altruism. Here we show experimentally that the altruistic punishment of defectors is a key motive for the explanation of cooperation. Altruistic punishment means that individuals punish, although the punishment is costly for them and yields no material gain. We show that cooperation ¯ourishes if altruistic punishment is possible, and breaks down if it is ruled out. The evidence indicates that negative emotions towards defectors are the proximate mechanism behind altruistic punishment. These results suggest that future study of the evolution of human cooperation should include a strong focus on explaining altruistic punishment.

Altruistic Punishment in Humans

Mating systems, philopatry and dispersal in birds and mammals

http://eebweb.arizona.edu/Faculty/Dornhaus/courses/materials/papers/other/Zahavi%20sexual%20selection%20handicap%20model%20signal.pdf

Mate selection-A selection for a handicap

The cost of honesty (further remarks on the handicap principle).

Summary
Evidence is presented to support the hypothesis that communal roosts, breeding colonies and certain other bird assemblages have been evolved primarily for the efficient exploitation of unevenly-distributed food sources by serving as “information-centres”.

Predation-pressure is regarded as being the most important factor “shaping” the assemblages. The shaping involves the choice of inaccessible or otherwise safe sites, optimum dispersal, mutual awareness of attack and joint defensive tactics, and serves to minimise the vulnerability to predation which would otherwise result when birds mass together in conspicuous, and often predictable centres.

The importance of certain assemblages of birds as “information‐centres” for food‐finding

The phenomenon of "helping at the nest" has exposed ornithologists to the problem of the evolution of altruism, i.e. why should a non-breeder invest in the fitness of breeders rather than trying itself to breed. Until the 1960s altruism was explained by many biologists through models of "group selection" (GS), i.e. the investment of the non-breeders in the breeding of their group members was justified by its contribution to the group. GS was later rejected by most evolutionary biologists (Maynard Smith 1964, Lack 1966, Williams 1966), and another model, that of "kin-selection" (KS) (Hamilton 1964) was suggested as an alternative solution to the problem of altruism. In KS models the investment of the altruist is justified by the benefit to its relatives. However, the many studies on group living birds which have resulted from the growing interest in the dilemma of altruism, have revealed that the helpers are in fact often not related to the breeders (Ligon and Ligon 1990, Reyer 1990, Zahavi 1990). Trivers (1971) suggested an additional model "reciprocal altruism" (RA) to interpret altruistic adaptations among non-relatives. This latter model suggests that the investment of the altruist is compensated by a gain from a reciprocal investment by other group members. However, data from several field studies have indicated that in many cases the act of the non-related altruist was not reciprocated. In these cases neither KS nor RA could explain helping at the nest. It was evident, however, in some of these studies (Ligon and Ligon 1990, Reyer 1990, Zahavi 1990) that many of the helpers were enhancing their own chances to breed. Helping by nonrelated birds, which is not reciprocated, can therefore only be interpreted as a simple selfish investment. However, these findings did not stimulate further research into the possibility that "helpers" in general gain direct advantages by their apparently altruistic investment.

/pdf/altruism-as-a-handicap-the-limitations-of-kin-selection-and-pqhwvgdedi.pdf

Altruism as a Handicap: The Limitations of Kin Selection and Reciprocity

http://www.tau.ac.il/~lotem/pdf/Anim95.pdf

Amotz Zahavi

Papers

Mate selection-A selection for a handicap

The cost of honesty (further remarks on the handicap principle).

The importance of certain assemblages of birds as “information‐centres” for food‐finding

Altruism as a Handicap: The Limitations of Kin Selection and Reciprocity

Constraints on egg discrimination and cuckoo-host co-evolution