Genetic Antecedents of Altruistic Behavior in Passeriformes

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Abstract
On the basis of a theory for the establishment and increase of altruistic genes in animal populations a relationship was hypothesized to exist in an avian order between clutch averages (which were considered an index of “genetic investment”) and prosocial behavior. The order Passeriformes was used, as clutch sizes were found to vary from one to 11 among the species, and the number of caretakers was also found to vary, falling into four categories: female only, female and male, both plus intraspecies helpers, and interspecies altruists. The positive correlations found in this research tend to support this theory.