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Doesn't an ant colony all share the same DNA? The workers, the soldiers, the queen - they're all the same genes, and differentiate only based on what they are fed - is that true?
If so, then I don't see what the difference is between group selection and kin selection in an ant colony. They're the same thing. If you're an ant, then your whole group you interact with is the tightest sort of kin you can have - they're your clones.
Could it be that someone who studies ants primarily would mistake kin selection for group selection because of this?
Permalink Sat, 21 Apr 2012 21:36:41 UTC | #936356