The core of Darwinian biological evolution is natural _select_ion theory, the theory tells us that competition for survival of species in the process, after the role of natural _select_ion gradually create new species of biological evolution. Everywhere in nature examples of competition for survival, such as emperor penguins in Antarctica before the water seal in order to determine whether the water is often pushed to the water each owner, my partner to do a scapegoat. Monkey King in the forest with flocks of wives, but does not allow other males "meddle" It's a concubine. These are the typical self-serving behavior.
However, competition for survival is just one aspect of the same in nature, there is mutual care and altruism. The so-called altruistic behavior are animals to lower their cost of fitness to improve the behavior of the other individual fitness (fitness of the individual biological organism viability, reproductive ability and future viability of the general term.)
Examples of altruistic behavior
In spiders and praying mantis there is a wedding of extreme selfishness and extreme acts of altruism. . Female praying mantis female spiders and just to get a good meal, in the "wedding night" to cruel to their own "husband" to eat, and male spiders and male praying mantis knows to wait for their tragic fate of extreme, but still "no turning back . " Perhaps this is their long-awaited opportunity, as they face the probability of females is very small, perhaps life can not be missed mate. Therefore, in order to "married wife" have a better nutrition will develop their own offspring grew up, so that the sacrifice is worth it, in their view.
Mountain elf smoking rate is a kind of living blood of other animals, bats, if not eat the blood of three consecutive nights will starve to death. But not every mountain elf night can increase the blood sucked, but sucked the blood of the mountain elf did not increase and will not be starved to death. Wilkinson observed in Costa Rica mountain elf increase the blood feeding behavior. A breath of mountain elf blood spit blood to another site to a starving mountain elf bat, but not limited to two mountain elf increase parental and offspring relationship. Prevalence and nature of such acts of love can be comparable to, people deeply touched.
In birds, the cuckoo is a "notorious." Rhododendron he will not nest, but will not spend a lot of energy to feed chicks. They are doing for future generations is to find the nests of other birds as well as parents, that is the host. Such as the reed swamp forest camp or a big tits. Cuckoo's egg using its egg with the host and the host very similar to deceive in the past. More people are hateful, the newborn cuckoo to slaughter, to their own "meaning brothers and sisters" - the host's eggs are not left to launch a nest, the host seemed to "let bygones be bygones" and still be a small cuckoo when meticulous care for their children until the grow up. Lo Benedict in this event and big tits _set_ an example of altruism.
Ants or bees in community groups, workers or the hard worker bees or bees for the queen and other peer services after the day the trouble, these are typical examples of altruistic behavior. However, these seem to not use Darwin's natural _select_ion theory to explain. So, how altruistic behavior is natural _select_ion? For this question, biologists have a different interpretation.
Prairie dogs are social animals, natural enemies found, the dog mouse will an alarm sound. Altruistic behavior in this study found that living with relatives in the region murine alert dogs far more than the number of living relatives in the area did not alert the number of dogs mice. Kin _select_ion theory that can serve as a powerful testament to this.
However, not all altruistic phenomena can be explained by kin _select_ion theory. Eagle is a kind of collective wisdom with animals. Local surface of the rabbit hiding in the bushes, or other more secluded place and can not prey, the hawks will be temporary Working Group formed. One by one or two eagles on the ground, wandering rabbits hiding place, the rabbits out. Hare this time the poor will only escape the eagle to catch up on the ground can not take into account other. Then the other members of the Joint Working Group will be diving down from the sky and smooth the hare capture. The eagle has successfully used this strategy as a whole to achieve the power of a multiplier effect, but this is no genetic relationship between the hawks.
For this type of altruistic phenomena, scientists have proposed a reciprocal hypothesis that both sides have been through cooperation and altruistic behavior benefits. Behavior and relationships of reciprocal altruism is not necessarily related. Sometimes this behavior can also occur between individuals of different species of animals, such as the relationship between sea anemones and hermit crabs and small fish to big fish "dig teeth child" phenomenon, are some of the performance of reciprocal altruism. It is worth mentioning that the mutual friendship between human beings is also a reciprocal altruism, but the animals do not require reciprocal altruism existence of subjective consciousness, let alone friendship, mutual assistance and human behavior there are some differences, they is to improve the fitness of the genes.
To explain the altruistic behavior of other, scientists have also raised the manipulation hypothesis and the interdependence hypothesis. For example, the above-mentioned behavior of cuckoo parasitism is an example of manipulation hypothesis. In the same species, this phenomenon may also occur between different individuals. There is a female brown birds put the egg in the nest of other similar brown female, and eggs in a nest before the first throw eggs out to cheat the other female brown birds feeding their offspring. The cross-fertilization of earthworms is a manifestation of the interdependence hypothesis.
Development of altruistic behavior
The development of altruism has two aspects: one aspect of the system development, namely, the evolution of altruism; Another aspect of individual development, mainly refers to the individual at different developmental stages of the different manifestations of altruism.
Phylogenetic fact, altruistic behavior is not only humans and higher animals patent, low in the biosphere is also widespread taxa, has a long evolutionary history. Even the small plasmids, there are also such "noble act." This can be from our "self-sacrificing acts of plasmids in bacteria," the experiment to be confirmed. Plasmid is similar to the virus self-replicating dna material (DNA), which entered the cell body after the bacteria can be copied with the propagation of bacteria, so bacteria plasmid is equivalent to a gene structure, and the bacteria have become the plasmid gene vector. We guide people to a specific plasmid in bacteria and other bacteria with and without plasmid were cultured, when bacterial density is very large, that is overcrowded living space, some bacterial breakdown in the plasmid, the corresponding cell bodies of bacteria also will burst, releasing a large number of toxins, the toxins can be released from the same plasmid without killing other bacteria, the bacterial plasmid is the same no harm. Self-sacrificing altruism plasmid containing the same plasmid to ensure the survival of bacteria and nutrient resources.
Ontogeny is a very interesting animal is not always manifested as selfishness or altruism, often by different individuals in different developmental stages, and sometimes even diametrically opposite. For example: chicken feeding behavior of small to large to be turned into altruistic behavior by the selfish behavior. When just hatched chicks in the shell, will be able to walk independently, free fed on. Zoologists found that when the chicks to find food, no matter how much food, if they are hungry, feed side of the issue will be the side of "jiao-jijiao-ji-ji-ji" sound of the food calls to invite peers to share food. This type of altruistic behavior feed many individuals reduce the accidental lack of food due to the possibility of death by starvation, which brought benefits to the whole population, because they are weak and face a variety of risk and need rely on the collective strength of tide over the crisis. However, as the chicks grow up, this kind of food calls altruism gradually disappeared, replaced by a fresh self-serving selfish behavior. When they find the food, never call partner, on the contrary, when they share the same manger, the individual number of the more faster the feed rate, and even the expulsion by force of other individuals. Because this time the chicks have grown mature enough to lay eggs every day, by copying their genes, and their companions to eat better than by calling the altruistic behavior of food sharing the benefits more directly and more effectively. Of course, the hens are not completely selfish, the same time, it also has many "selfless" behavior. For example alarm behavior have been developed. These facts prove that animals show either selfishness or altruism, are all conducive to improving the fitness of genes, selfish genes are determined. Therefore, altruism is the natural behavior of biological organisms is the carrier of the gene as a gene in nature, the animal is pure altruism, there is no consciousness, do not expect to get nothing in return. Human beings as a member of the animal kingdom, some animals can not escape from the instinctive altruistic behavior in case of shock will be issued when the screams of terror (the equivalent of alarm behavior of animals.) However, many other forms of human altruism and the animals are not so pure, excellent. Because the purpose of human altruistic behavior is to enable the individual or to the more prosperous groups (ie, social, class.) This is due to the evolution of the civilization of human society is greater than the role of genetic, it is carried out in the human unconscious, while pure altruism, but also derived from a conditional altruism, altruistic behavior is made to stimulate the need for return (physical and spiritual). There is also the altruistic behavior of extreme exception (overrun altruistic behavior) and self-serving behavior (overrun selfish behavior). The former represents, whatever the scenario, conditions, and blindly make their own excessive restraint and altruism, their behavior is far less than the value of the cost, for example, to save a dying dementia patients at the expense of congenital bankrupt, debt, even a fire in the lives of cats and dogs to pay the price. The latter refers to the number of petty, major interests at the expense of others, and even the behavior of taking people's lives. For the gauge selfishness countries around the world have enacted tough laws to sanction, and for the overrun altruism, I am afraid that human society should not be promoted.
After all, human beings have gone through a civilized society, or even become the master of the earth. Yet humans and animals is fundamentally the same strain, the correct understanding of animal behavior, but also provides us on a new understanding of human activities. |
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