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How nepotistic is the brain worm?

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Summary

The evolution of altruism does not necessarily require an extreme amount of kinship. This point is illustrated with an analysis of altruistic behavior in the Trematode parasite Dicrocoelium dendriticum, which apparently can evolve even when the parasites of the host are derived from as many as five different parents.

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References

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Author notes

  1. David Sloan Wilson

    Present address: Division of Environmental Studies, University of California, 95616, Davis, California, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences, South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, P.O. Box 395, 0001, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa

    David Sloan Wilson

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  1. David Sloan Wilson
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Wilson, D.S. How nepotistic is the brain worm?. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2, 421–425 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00299510

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00299510

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