How to get the most bang for your buck: the evolution and physiology of nutrition-dependent resource allocation strategies.

ABSTRACT: All organisms use resources to grow, survive and reproduce. The supply of these resources varies widely across landscapes and time, imposing ultimate constraints on the maximal trait values for allocation-related traits. In this review, we address three key questions fundamental to our understanding of the evolution of allocation strategies and their underlying mechanisms. First, we ask: how diverse are flexible resource allocation strategies among different organisms? We find there are many, varied, examples of flexible strategies that depend on nutrition. However, this diversity is often ignored in some of the best-known cases of resource allocation shifts, such as the commonly observed pattern of lifespan extension under nutrient limitation. A greater appreciation of the wide variety of

SUBMITTER: Ng'oma E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5489724 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature