Definition
A concept in social evolution theory where a single gene or a set of multiple tightly linked genes has two phenotypic effects: a trait that allows other individuals to recognize carriers of the gene (such as growing a greenbeard) and a behavioral trait whereby altruistic acts are directed toward others recognized as carriers.
Introduction
In 1964, William Hamilton published two classic articles on the evolution of social behavior, seeking understanding of the evolution of altruistic traits. The first of these articles (Hamilton 1964a) focuses on mathematical theory. The second paper (Hamilton 1964b) discusses the implications of the theory and gives it further biological context. In a brief section of the second paper, Hamilton also discusses a hypothetical “supergene affecting (a) some perceptible feature of the organism, (b) the perception of that feature, and (c) the social response consequent upon what was perceived.”
Although Hamilton first described the idea, the...
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References
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Acknowledgments
My research is funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Research Award (project number DE180100526, “Unifying cornerstones of social evolution: Theory and Application”) from the Australian Government.
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Lehtonen, J. (2020). Green Beard Effect, The. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1366-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1366-1
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