Proximate and Ultimate Causation of Behavior

Types of Causation

• Proximate Causation focuses on immediate triggers or mechanisms that lead to specific behaviors, such as physiological or environmental factors that cause an organism to act in a certain way.
• Ultimate Causation examines the evolutionary reasons or adaptive significance behind behaviors, addressing how certain actions enhance survival and reproduction over generations.

Alarm Calls in Organisms

• Alarm calls serve as a communication mechanism to warn other individuals of potential dangers or predators, facilitating a coordinated defensive response among group members.
• These calls can benefit the speaker by enhancing group survival, thereby increasing the likelihood of passing on genes to future generations.

Reproductive Success Factors

• Reproductive success of an individual is primarily determined by their ability to survive and reproduce effectively, ensuring their genes are passed on to the next generation.
• Factors influencing reproductive success include mate selection, access to resources, environmental conditions, and competition.

Kin Selection

• Kin Selection refers to a type of natural selection that favors behaviors which help relatives, enhancing the survival of shared genes within a family or group.
• This behavior often manifests in acts of altruism, where individuals perform actions that benefit the reproductive success of their relatives, even at a cost to themselves.