Red-cockaded woodpeckers have a very interesting ‘life history strategy They live in colonies in old-growth pine forests along the southeastern coastal plain. Males excavate nest cavities in old-growth pine trees and defend the nest against predators and other male woodpeckers who want to take it over After fledging, young female woodpeckers leave the colony to find mates in other colonies. Young males stay put, but very few of them excavate their own nest cavity. Most instead will stick around and help close kin raise chicks in subsequent seasons, waiting for a nest cavity to become open so they can mate and have their own offspring. The average coefficient of relatedness of helper woodpeckers to the kin they help is 0.4 Young males who excavate their own nest cavity right after fledging (do not provide assistance to kin) have on average 8 successful chicks during their life. Woodpecker nesting pairs who have the help of kin have on average 16 more offspring than they do when no help is provided. Helper male offspring go on to sire an average of 5 of their own offspring. Can the kin selection hypothesis explain how this life history strategy could have evolved? Explain using Hamilton’s equation. 1)