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natural selection, sexual selection, altruistic behavior

Just some meanderings re evolution that I'd like to discuss with a science buff.

Let's say that there are two mutually exclusive traits that can be had: V and R.

Persons with trait V are more likely to survive but less likely to reproduce, while persons with trait R are more likely to reproduce; raise offspring (IF they survive) but are less likely to survive (because they are willing to engage in risky behavior).

Let's quantify that.  Some other time.

Depending on how the numbers work out, there could be a way of exploring the degree to which the Rs are likely to outstrip the Vs after a sufficient number of generations.

Most interesting would be to show an inherent connection between R and ~V (and between V and ~R as well).

I can't work this out, but the gist of the expected results would be that sexual selection might naturally  outpace mere survival as a determining factor in natural selection.  And in this case, altruistic behavior (at least the sort displayed by parent toward offspring) might be the sort of thing we should expect in sexually reproducing populations.  The primordial altruistic behavior would be of parent toward offspring.


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