Although alarm calling benefits the whole group, it cannot be explained by group selection because
A) callers make themselves conspicuous to the predators, but calling costs little in terms of individual fitness.
B) calling reduces the risk of mortality for everyone who hears the call, changing the frequency of callers and noncallers in the population, because everyone benefits.
C) noncallers benefit from the alarm call and will have higher fitness than the callers, so selection will suppress alarm calling.
D) callers and noncallers have the same relative fitness.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Noncallers benefit from the alarm calls without incurring the risks associated with making the calls themselves. This means they can have higher fitness than the callers because they avoid predation without the added risk of attracting attention to themselves. Over time, this dynamic can lead to a decrease in the frequency of callers if the trait is heritable, as noncallers have a relative advantage in terms of survival and reproduction.

Although Alarm Calling Benefits the Whole Group, It Cannot Be