scholarly journals Life-history evolution of class-structured populations in fluctuating environments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sébastien Lion ◽  
Sylvain Gandon
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Structured Populations ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Selection Gradients ◽  
Evolution Of Life ◽  
History Evolution

AbstractWhat is the influence of periodic environmental fluctuations on life-history evolution? We present a general theoretical framework to understand and predict the long-term evolution of life-history traits under a broad range of ecological scenarios. Indeed, this analysis yields time-varying selection gradients that help dissect the influence of the fluctuations of the environment on the competitive ability of a specific life-history mutation. We use this framework to analyse the evolution of key life-history traits of pathogens, such as transmission and virulence. These examples reveal how periodic fluctuations of the environment can affect the evolution of pathogens, and illustrate the usefulness and broad applicability of this new approach.

scholarly journals Evolution of pleiotropic alleles for maturation and size as a consequence of predation

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra L Basolo
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Sexual Maturation ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Physiological Mechanisms ◽  
Xiphophorus Maculatus ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Extensive Information ◽  
History Evolution ◽  
The Cost

Understanding life-history evolution requires knowledge about genetic interactions, physiological mechanisms and the nature of selection. For platyfish, Xiphophorus maculatus , extensive information is available about genetic and physiological mechanisms influencing life-history traits. In particular, alleles at the pituitary locus have large and antagonistic effects on age and size at sexual maturation. To examine how predation affects the evolution of these antagonistic traits, I examined pituitary allele evolution in experimental populations differing in predation risk. A smaller size, earlier maturation allele increased in frequency when predators were absent, while a larger size, later maturation allele increased in frequency when predators were present. Thus, predation favours alleles for larger size, at the cost of later maturation and reproduction. These findings are interesting for several reasons. First, predation is often predicted to favour early reproduction at smaller sizes. Second, few studies have shown how selection acts on alleles that affect age and size at sexual maturation. Finally, many studies assume that trade-offs between these life-history traits result from antagonistic pleiotropy, with alleles that positively affect one trait negatively affecting another, yet this is rarely known. This study unequivocally demonstrates that genetically based trade-offs affect life-history evolution in platyfish.

scholarly journals The Phylogenetic Approach to Avian Life Histories: An Important Complement to Within-Population Studies

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Winkler
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Statistical Convergence ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
Evolution Of Life ◽  
Character Variation

Abstract In recent years, two approaches have emerged for the analysis of character evolution: the largely statistical “convergence” approach and the mainly cladistic “homology” approach. I discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches as they apply to phylogenetic analyses of life-history variation in birds. Using examples from analyses of character variation in swallows, I suggest that the phylogenetic approach yields distinctive insights into the selective role of the environment and other characters of the organism on the evolution of life-history traits. This view thus has the potential of bringing together micro- and macro-evolutionary views of life-history evolution.

Ecophysiological responses in life-history evolution: evidence for their importance in a geographically widespread insect species complex

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 875-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine A. Tauber ◽  
Maurice J. Tauber
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Genetic Variability ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Physiological Basis ◽  
Geographical Patterns ◽  
Species Complexes ◽  
Evolution Of Life ◽  
Ecophysiological Responses ◽  
History Evolution

Geographical patterns of variation among North American populations of Chrysoperla carnea provide strong evidence that ecophysiological traits are central to the evolution of life histories. Selection pressure and the types and amounts of genetic variability underlying the traits vary geographically. Western populations exhibit considerable genetic variability in their reproductive responses to both photoperiod and prey. This variability is expressed both at the interpopulation level by the diversity of locally adapted populations and at the intrapopulation level in the form of genetic polymorphisms. By contrast, eastern, midwestern, and northwestern regions contain two types of reproductively isolated, monomorphic populations. The two types differ in their photoperiodic requirements for reproduction, but neither uses prey as a cue to stimulate reproduction. Although most of the characteristic responses to photoperiod and prey can vary independently of each other, the separate traits tend to covary to form coadaptive sets. The covariance of a few responses appears to have a genetic or physiological basis, a condition that places constraints on the evolution of life histories. Our results also demonstrate that comparative studies at the intraspecific level are highly significant to the analysis of life-history evolution and to the taxonomic treatment of species complexes.

scholarly journals Spatial selection and local adaptation jointly shape life-history evolution during range expansion

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrien Van Petegem ◽  
Jeroen Boeye ◽  
Robby Stoks ◽  
Dries Bonte
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Local Adaptation ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Range Shifts ◽  
Evolutionary Processes ◽  
Spatial Selection ◽  
History Evolution

In the context of climate change and species invasions, range shifts increasingly gain attention because the rates at which they occur in the Anthropocene induce fast shifts in biological assemblages. During such range shifts, species experience multiple selection pressures. Especially for poleward expansions, a straightforward interpretation of the observed evolutionary dynamics is hampered because of the joint action of evolutionary processes related to spatial selection and to adaptation towards local climatic conditions. To disentangle the effects of these two processes, we integrated stochastic modeling and empirical approaches, using the spider mite Tetranychus urticae as a model species. We demonstrate considerable latitudinal quantitative genetic divergence in life-history traits in T. urticae, that was shaped by both spatial selection and local adaptation. The former mainly affected dispersal behavior, while development was mainly shaped by adaptation to the local climate. Divergence in life-history traits in species shifting their range poleward can consequently be jointly determined by fast local adaptation to the environmental gradient and contemporary evolutionary dynamics resulting from spatial selection. The integration of modeling with common garden experiments provides a powerful tool to study the contribution of these two evolutionary processes on life-history evolution during range expansion.

scholarly journals The importance and adaptive value of life history evolution for metapopulation dynamics

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dries Bonte ◽  
Quinten Bafort
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Local Density ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Structured Populations ◽  
Metapopulation Dynamics ◽  
Systems Modelling ◽  
Metapopulation Persistence ◽  
History Evolution

1. The spatial configuration and size of patches influence metapopulation dynamics by altering colonisation-extinction dynamics and local density-dependency. This spatial forcing as determined by the metapopulation typology then imposes strong selection pressures on life history traits, which will in turn feedback on the ecological metapopulation dynamics. Given the relevance of metapopulation persistence for biological conservation, and the potential rescuing role of evolution, a firm understanding of the relevance of these eco-evolutionary processes is essential. 2. We here follow a systems modelling approach to quantify the importance of spatial forcing and experimentally observed life history evolution for metapopulation demography as quantified by (meta)population size and variability. We therefore developed an individual based model matching an earlier experimental evolution with spider mites to perform virtual translocation and invasion experiments that would have been otherwise impossible to conduct. 3. We show that (1) metapopulation demography is more affected by spatial forcing than by life history evolution, but that life history evolution contributes substantially to changes in local and especially metapopulation-level population sizes, (2) extinction rates are minimised by evolution in classical metapopulations, and (3) evolution is optimising individual performance in metapopulations when considering the importance of more cryptic stress resistance evolution. 4. Ecological systems modelling opens up a promising avenue to quantify the importance of eco-evolutionary feedbacks for larger-scale population dynamics. Metapopulation sizes are especially impacted by evolution but its variability is mainly determined by the spatial forcing. 5. Eco-evolutionary dynamics can increase the persistence of classical metapopulations. The maintenance of evolutionary dynamics in spatially structured populations is thus not only essential in the face of environmental change; it also generates feedbacks that impact metapopulation persistence.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document