Prairie dogs are small mammals that live in large colonies in burrows in the ground. Prairie dogs that are near their own relatives when a predator approaches are much more likely to issue a warning bark than those that are near unrelated prairie dogs. The prairie dogs that hear a warning bark are more likely to hide in their burrows than to remain above ground. However, the prairie dog that gives the warning bark is putting itself at increased risk of being identified and killed by the predator.

Which of the following presents the most likely evolutionary explanation for the behaviors described?

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The behavior of barking warns genetically related individuals of the predators' presence. This increases the fitness of related individuals, ensuring that genes contributing to the barking behavior get passed on.

There is no indication whether barking causes the prairie dogs to live above ground more.

Unrelated prairie dogs have a reduced chance of being close to the barking prairie dog. They would be further away.

The barking prairie dog is more likely to be hunted. Its chance of survival is lower. If this were the only case, the barking behavior would not occur and there would be no explanation for the behavior described.