... towards one another. The animals who perform these behaviours must derive some benefit, whether it be personal or through the constraints of selection. Surprisingly very little research has been performed on what the fitness consequences of kin selection are, mainly because it is such a misunderstood term and there is still debate as to whether it actually exists. Traditional views on the benefits are that it allows the dispensing of nepotism, for example 'helpers' who aid in the raising of closely related animals offspring. It could be summarised by saying that it is better to increase a relative's fitness through acts of altruism as they carry a certain proportion of your genes than to help a complete stranger add to the gene pool for the next generation. Additional benefits of kin discrimination are that it facilitates the balance between inbreeding and out breeding through mate recognition. However the act of ...

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