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Summary: and mating systems are more
likely than others to tip the scales
in favour of cooperation. In
particular, both polygyny [12] and
overlap between generations [13]
tend to boost the evolution of
altruistic behaviour. Indeed, these
traits even allow for altruistic acts
directed towards random group
members, without a need for kin
recognition. These results suggest
that the lifestyle of the greater
horseshoe bat may be especially
conducive to cooperative
behaviour based on kin selection.
There is only one problem: there
is, thus far, no evidence that
greater horseshoe bats engage in
such behaviour despite many
years of research on this species.
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