ecology help needed?

Question

scientists studying scrub jays found it is common for "helpers" to assist mated birds in raising their young. the helpers lack territories and mates of their own. instead, they help the territory owners gather food for their offspring. helpers are usually fledglings from the same family and stay and help for a year before mating. A) propose a hypothesis to explain what advantage there might be for the helpers to engage in this behavior instead of seeking their own territories and mates. B) how would you test your hypothesis?

Answer 1

They gain "inclusive fitness."
Cross-fostering experiments (switching eggs around).

Answer 2

First, I'll answer B. I don't know that there would be any way of testing this hypothesis, as we are dealing with animals. The general theory is that the birds somehow know that by helping raise their siblings, they are furthering their own genes, in the case that they should find no mate of their own.