Summary
It is assumed by many zoologists that most animals avoid inbreeding because of the associated deleterious effects. The breeding behaviour of fallow deer is described and shown to make a father-daughter incest likely. By treating incest as a form of altruistic behaviour on the part of females, an inclusive fitness argument is developed to account for incest in polygynous species. It is shown that a substantial (1/3) reduction in individual fitness is required if incest is to be selected against.
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Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments.-The first draft of the manuscript was greatly improved by discussion with Professor J. Maynard Smith of the University of Sussex, from whom I also learned that, as well as himself, the following workers have independently derived equations (1) and (2) : Dr C. Packer of the University of Sussex, Dr G. A. Parker of the University of Liverpool and Mr J. Tooby of Harvard University.
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Smith, R. On selection for inbreeding in polygynous animals. Heredity 43, 205–211 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1979.75
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1979.75
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