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Definition
Full siblings share the same biological mother and father, maternal half-siblings share the same mother only, and paternal half-siblings share the same father only. Therefore, full siblings share, on average, 50% of their genes with one another and half siblings share approximately 25%. Because individuals share more genes with their full siblings than their half siblings on average, full siblings are predicted to invest more in each other compared to half siblings. By investing in full rather than half siblings, individuals can more effectively increase their own inclusive fitness.
Introduction
Individuals tend to invest time and resources in their kin. Evolutionary researchers have explained this by inclusive fitness theory (Hamilton 1964), which assumes that the degree of genetic relatedness is associated with the investment directed towards relatives. Individuals share approximately 50% of their genes with full...
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References
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Tanskanen, A.O., Danielsbacka, M. (2017). Full Siblings Versus Half Siblings. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1496-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1496-1
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