Social Evolution

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Social evolution is a subdiscipline of evolutionary biology that is concerned with social behaviours, i.e. those that have fitness consequences for individuals other than the actor. Social behaviours can be categorized according to the fitness consequences they entail for the actor and recipient. Mutually beneficial - a behaviour that increases the direct fitness of both the actor and the recipient. Selfish - a behaviour that increases the direct fitness of the actor, but the recipient suffers a loss. Altruistic - a behaviour that increases the direct fitness of the recipient, but the actor suffers a loss. Spiteful - a behaviour that decreases the direct fitness of both the actor and the recipient.