Variability in life-history switch points across and within populations explained by Adaptive Dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the factors that shape the timing of life-history switch points (SPs; e.g. hatching, metamorphosis and maturation) is a fundamental question in evolutionary ecology. Previous studies examining this question from a fitness optimization perspective have advanced our understanding of why the timing of life-history transitions may vary across populations and environments. However, in nature we also often observe variability among individuals within populations. Optimization theory, which typically predicts a single optimal SP under physiological and environmental constraints for a given environment, cannot explain this variability. Here, we re-examine the evolution of a single life-history SP between juvenile and adult stages from an Adaptive Dynamics (AD) perspective, which expl

SUBMITTER: Landi P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6283999 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature