scholarly journals The influence of juvenile and adult environments on life-history trajectories

2005 ◽  
Vol 273 (1587) ◽  
pp. 741-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Taborsky
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Juvenile Growth ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
Major Life ◽  
Adult Growth ◽  
Trade Offs

There is increasing evidence that the environment experienced early in life can strongly influence adult life histories. It is largely unknown, however, how past and present conditions influence suites of life-history traits regarding major life-history trade-offs. Especially in animals with indeterminate growth, we may expect that environmental conditions of juveniles and adults independently or interactively influence the life-history trade-off between growth and reproduction after maturation. Juvenile growth conditions may initiate a feedback loop determining adult allocation patterns, triggered by size-dependent mortality risk. I tested this possibility in a long-term growth experiment with mouthbrooding cichlids. Females were raised either on a high-food or low-food diet. After maturation half of them were switched to the opposite treatment, while the other half remained unchanged. Adult growth was determined by current resource availability, but key reproductive traits like reproductive rate and offspring size were only influenced by juvenile growth conditions, irrespective of the ration received as adults. Moreover, the allocation of resources to growth versus reproduction and to offspring number versus size were shaped by juvenile rather than adult ecology. These results indicate that early individual history must be considered when analysing causes of life-history variation in natural populations.

scholarly journals Patterns of Life-History Diversification in North American Fishes: implications for Population Regulation

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 2196-2218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk O. Winemiller ◽  
Kenneth A. Rose
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
North American ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Large Species ◽  
High Fecundity ◽  
Adult Growth ◽  
Trade Offs

Interspecific patterns of fish life histories were evaluated in relation to several theoretical models of life-history evolution. Data were gathered for 216 North American fish species (57 families) to explore relationships among variables and to ordinate species. Multivariate tests, performed on freshwater, marine, and combined data matrices, repeatedly identified a gradient associating later-maturing fishes with higher fecundity, small eggs, and few bouts of reproduction during a short spawning season and the opposite suite of traits with small fishes. A second strong gradient indicated positive associations between parental care, egg size, and extended breeding seasons. Phylogeny affected each variable, and some higher taxonomic groupings were associated with particular life-history strategies. High-fecundity characteristics tended to be associated with large species ranges in the marine environment. Age at maturation, adult growth rate, life span, and egg size positively correlated with anadromy. Parental care was inversely correlated with median latitude. A trilateral continuum based on essential trade-offs among three demographic variables predicts many of the correlations among life-history traits. This framework has implications for predicting population responses to diverse natural and anthropogenic disturbances and provides a basis for comparing responses of different species to the same disturbance.

scholarly journals Marine trophic diversity in an anadromous fish is linked to its life-history variation in fresh water

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 20120824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan P. Johnson ◽  
Daniel E. Schindler
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
Trophic Diversity ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Salmon Population ◽  
Freshwater Habitats ◽  
Foraging Tactics

We used carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes from muscle tissues accrued in the ocean to examine whether marine foraging tactics in anadromous sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) are linked to their ultimate freshwater life history as adults. Adults from large-bodied populations spawning in deep freshwater habitats had more enriched δ 15 N than individuals from small-bodied populations from shallow streams. Within populations, earlier maturing individuals had higher δ 15 N than older fish. These differences in δ 15 N suggest that the fish with different life histories or spawning habitats in freshwater either fed at different trophic positions or in different habitats in the ocean. We propose that, nested within interspecific diversity in the ecological attributes of salmon, population and life-history diversity in spawning adults is associated with variation in marine foraging tactics. These results further indicate that the trophic diversity of sockeye salmon in the ocean may be linked to trade-offs in ecological and evolutionary constraints they eventually experience as adults in freshwater ecosystems.

scholarly journals Reproductive Allocation and Maternal Investment in Intertidal Whelks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
John Van der Sman
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Maternal Nutrition ◽  
Maternal Investment ◽  
Reproductive Allocation ◽  
Life History Trait ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Juvenile Growth ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Trade Offs

<p>Parental investment per offspring is a key life history trait in which offspring size and number combinations are balanced in order to maximise fitness. When food is scarce and energy for reproduction is reduced, changes in reproductive allocation can be expected. These adjustments may go on to influence the growth and survival of the next generation. Trade-offs in reproductive allocation in response to food availability occurred differently in each of the three whelks species of this study. However, each species traded numbers of offspring rather than size of offspring when fed low food. Offspring size was more variable among and within capsules than among food treatments. Capsule size was a plastic trait that varied in response to food treatments in each of the species and varied among populations of the same species. Carry-over effects of maternal nutrition influenced juvenile growth in all three species. However, while juvenile growth was greater when adults were fed high food in two of the species, high adult food suppressed the growth of juveniles of the third species. This may be a mechanism to prevent potential negative consequences of rapid growth. There was no evidence of a maternal effect of mortality in any of the three species. Greater variation in hatchling size occurred in the species in which nurse egg feeding occurred. Nurse egg feeding may be a successful strategy in unpredictable environments where optimal offspring size changes from year to year. Regional differences in reproductive allocation between whelks separated by small distances suggest that populations may be isolated from one another and may need to be managed separately for conservation purposes. This study highlights the influence of maternal nutritional effects on life history and the potential impacts that these may have on population and community structure.</p>

scholarly journals Dispersal: a central and independent trait in life history

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dries Bonte ◽  
Maxime Dahirel
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
Explicit Integration ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Population And Community Dynamics

AbstractThe study of trade-offs among major life history components (age at maturity, lifespan and reproduction) allowed the development of a quantitative framework to understand how environmental variation shapes patterns of biodiversity among and within species.Because every environment is inherently spatially structured, and in most cases temporally variable, individuals need to move within and among habitats to maximize fitness. Dispersal is often assumed to be tightly integrated into life histories through genetic correlations with other vital traits. This assumption is particularly strong within the context of a fast-slow continuum of life-history variation. Such a framework is to date used to explain many aspects of population and community dynamics. Evidence for a consistent and context-independent integration of dispersal in life histories is, however, weak. We therefore advocate the explicit integration of dispersal into life history theory as a principal axis of variation influencing fitness, that is free to evolve, independently of other life history traits.We synthesize theoretical and empirical evidence on the central role of dispersal and its evolutionary dynamics on the spatial distribution of ecological strategies and its impact on population spread, invasions and coexistence. By applying an optimality framework we show that the inclusion of dispersal as an independent dimension of life histories might substantially change our view on evolutionary trajectories in spatially structured environments.Because changes in the spatial configuration of habitats affect the costs of movement and dispersal, adaptations to reduce these costs will increase phenotypic divergence among and within populations. We outline how this phenotypic heterogeneity is anticipated to further impact population and community dynamics.

scholarly journals Reproductive Allocation and Maternal Investment in Intertidal Whelks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
John Van der Sman
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Maternal Nutrition ◽  
Maternal Investment ◽  
Reproductive Allocation ◽  
Life History Trait ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Juvenile Growth ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Trade Offs

<p>Parental investment per offspring is a key life history trait in which offspring size and number combinations are balanced in order to maximise fitness. When food is scarce and energy for reproduction is reduced, changes in reproductive allocation can be expected. These adjustments may go on to influence the growth and survival of the next generation. Trade-offs in reproductive allocation in response to food availability occurred differently in each of the three whelks species of this study. However, each species traded numbers of offspring rather than size of offspring when fed low food. Offspring size was more variable among and within capsules than among food treatments. Capsule size was a plastic trait that varied in response to food treatments in each of the species and varied among populations of the same species. Carry-over effects of maternal nutrition influenced juvenile growth in all three species. However, while juvenile growth was greater when adults were fed high food in two of the species, high adult food suppressed the growth of juveniles of the third species. This may be a mechanism to prevent potential negative consequences of rapid growth. There was no evidence of a maternal effect of mortality in any of the three species. Greater variation in hatchling size occurred in the species in which nurse egg feeding occurred. Nurse egg feeding may be a successful strategy in unpredictable environments where optimal offspring size changes from year to year. Regional differences in reproductive allocation between whelks separated by small distances suggest that populations may be isolated from one another and may need to be managed separately for conservation purposes. This study highlights the influence of maternal nutritional effects on life history and the potential impacts that these may have on population and community structure.</p>

Hormones and Behavior

2019 ◽  
pp. 11-26
Author(s):  
Maren N. Vitousek ◽  
Laura A. Schoenle
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Developmental Plasticity ◽  
Endocrine System ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
And Behavior

Hormones mediate the expression of life history traits—phenotypic traits that contribute to lifetime fitness (i.e., reproductive timing, growth rate, number and size of offspring). The endocrine system shapes phenotype by organizing tissues during developmental periods and by activating changes in behavior, physiology, and morphology in response to varying physical and social environments. Because hormones can simultaneously regulate many traits (hormonal pleiotropy), they are important mediators of life history trade-offs among growth, reproduction, and survival. This chapter reviews the role of hormones in shaping life histories with an emphasis on developmental plasticity and reversible flexibility in endocrine and life history traits. It also discusses the advantages of studying hormone–behavior interactions from an evolutionary perspective. Recent research in evolutionary endocrinology has provided insight into the heritability of endocrine traits, how selection on hormone systems may influence the evolution of life histories, and the role of hormonal pleiotropy in driving or constraining evolution.

Barriers to salmon migration impact body condition, offspring size, and life history variation in an avian consumer

Ecography ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 1056-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Tonra ◽  
Kimberly Sager-Fradkin ◽  
Peter P. Marra
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Offspring Size ◽  
Life History Variation

scholarly journals Ultrasound imaging identifies life history variation in resident Cutthroat Trout

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246365
Author(s):  
Kellie J. Carim ◽  
Scott Relyea ◽  
Craig Barfoot ◽  
Lisa A. Eby ◽  
John A. Kronenberger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Ultrasound Imaging ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Reproductive Status ◽  
Lifetime Reproductive Success ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
Westslope Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Isolated Populations

Human activities that fragment fish habitat have isolated inland salmonid populations. This isolation is associated with loss of migratory life histories and declines in population density and abundance. Isolated populations exhibiting only resident life histories may be more likely to persist if individuals can increase lifetime reproductive success by maturing at smaller sizes or earlier ages. Therefore, accurate estimates of age and size at maturity across resident salmonid populations would improve estimates of population viability. Commonly used methods for assessing maturity such as dissection, endoscopy and hormone analysis are invasive and may disturb vulnerable populations. Ultrasound imaging is a non-invasive method that has been used to measure reproductive status across fish taxa. However, little research has assessed the accuracy of ultrasound for determining maturation status of small-bodied fish, or reproductive potential early in a species’ reproductive cycle. To address these knowledge gaps, we tested whether ultrasound imaging could be used to identify maturing female Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi). Our methods were accurate at identifying maturing females reared in a hatchery setting up to eight months prior to spawning, with error rates ≤ 4.0%; accuracy was greater for larger fish. We also imaged fish in a field setting to examine variation in the size of maturing females among six wild, resident populations of Westslope Cutthroat Trout in western Montana. The median size of maturing females varied significantly across populations. We observed oocyte development in females as small as 109 mm, which is smaller than previously documented for this species. Methods tested in this study will allow researchers and managers to collect information on reproductive status of small-bodied salmonids without disrupting fish during the breeding season. This information can help elucidate life history traits that promote persistence of isolated salmonid populations.

scholarly journals Maternal investment, life histories and the evolution of brain structure in primates

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1911) ◽  
pp. 20191608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren E. Powell ◽  
Robert A. Barton ◽  
Sally E. Street
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Adult Life ◽  
Maternal Investment ◽  
Brain Evolution ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Juvenile Period ◽  
Adult Lifespan

Life history is a robust correlate of relative brain size: larger-brained mammals and birds have slower life histories and longer lifespans than smaller-brained species. The cognitive buffer hypothesis (CBH) proposes an adaptive explanation for this relationship: large brains may permit greater behavioural flexibility and thereby buffer the animal from unpredictable environmental challenges, allowing for reduced mortality and increased lifespan. By contrast, the developmental costs hypothesis (DCH) suggests that life-history correlates of brain size reflect the extension of maturational processes needed to accommodate the evolution of large brains, predicting correlations with pre-adult life-history phases. Here, we test novel predictions of the hypotheses in primates applied to the neocortex and cerebellum, two major brain structures with distinct developmental trajectories. While neocortical growth is allocated primarily to pre-natal development, the cerebellum exhibits relatively substantial post-natal growth. Consistent with the DCH, neocortical expansion is related primarily to extended gestation while cerebellar expansion to extended post-natal development, particularly the juvenile period. Contrary to the CBH, adult lifespan explains relatively little variance in the whole brain or neocortex volume once pre-adult life-history phases are accounted for. Only the cerebellum shows a relationship with lifespan after accounting for developmental periods. Our results substantiate and elaborate on the role of maternal investment and offspring development in brain evolution, suggest that brain components can evolve partly independently through modifications of distinct developmental phases, and imply that environmental input during post-natal maturation may be particularly crucial for the development of cerebellar function. They also suggest that relatively extended post-natal maturation times provide a developmental mechanism for the marked expansion of the cerebellum in the apes.

scholarly journals Density Dependence, Evolutionary Optimization, and the Diversification of Avian Life Histories

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Ricklefs
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Table ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Reproductive Rate ◽  
Empirical Modeling ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
Evolutionary Response

Abstract Although we have learned much about avian life histories during the 50 years since the seminal publications of David Lack, Alexander Skutch, and Reginald Moreau, we still do not have adequate explanations for some of the basic patterns of variation in life-history traits among birds. In part, this reflects two consequences of the predominance of evolutionary ecology thinking during the past three decades. First, by blurring the distinction between life-history traits and life-table variables, we have tended to divorce life histories from their environmental context, which forms the link between the life history and the life table. Second, by emphasizing constrained evolutionary responses to selective factors, we have set aside alternative explanations for observed correlations among life-history traits and life-table variables. Density-dependent feedback and independent evolutionary response to correlated aspects of the environment also may link traits through different mechanisms. Additionally, in some cases we have failed to evaluate quantitatively ideas that are compelling qualitatively, ignored or explained away relevant empirical data, and neglected logical implications of certain compelling ideas. Comparative analysis of avian life histories shows that species are distributed along a dominant slow-fast axis. Furthermore, among birds, annual reproductive rate and adult mortality are directly proportional to each other, requiring that pre-reproductive survival is approximately constant. This further implies that age at maturity increases dramatically with increasing adult survival rate. The significance of these correlations is obscure, particularly because survival and reproductive rates at each age include the effects of many life-history traits. For example, reproductive rate is determined by clutch size, nesting success, season length, and nest-cycle length, each of which represents the outcome of many different interactions of an individual's life-history traits with its environment. Resolution of the most basic issues raised by patterns of life histories clearly will require innovative empirical, modeling, and experimental approaches. However, the most fundamental change required at this time is a broadening of the evolutionary ecology paradigm to include a variety of alternative mechanisms for generating patterns of life-history variation.

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