Multiple choice

Which of the following is/are the criteria for reciprocity?

Reciprocal altruism is an altruistic behavior in which the donor sacrifices for the recipient with an expectation that the recipient will sacrifice for it sometime later.

  1. The pairs must persist for a long time.

  2. The benefit to the receiver must exceed the cost to the donor.

  3. Donors must recognize cheaters and not feed them.

  4. All of the above are correct.

  5. None of the above are correct.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

In evolutionary biology, reciprocal altruism is a behaviour whereby an organism acts in a manner that temporarily reduces its fitness while increasing another organism's fitness, with the expectation that the other organism will act in a similar manner at a later time. The concept was initially developed by Robert Trivers to explain the evolution of cooperation as instances of mutually altruistic acts. For reciprocity , the pairs must persist for a long time,  the benefit to the receiver must exceed the cost to the donor,  donors must recognize cheaters and not feed them.