scholarly journals Prey life history influences the evolution of egg mass and reproductive investment in a group of insect predators

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Louis Hemptinne ◽  
Emilie Lecompte ◽  
Arnaud Sentis ◽  
Anthony Dixon ◽  
Alexandra Magro
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Phylogenetic Relatedness ◽  
Average Mass ◽  
History Evolution ◽  
Risk And Benefit

1. The balance between risk and benefit of exploiting resources drives life history evolution. Predators are naturally recognized as major drivers of the life history evolution of their prey. The concept of an evolutionary arms race posits that prey also influence the life history evolution of their predators. There is far more evidence on the role of predators than of prey. 2. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of prey in life history evolution of predators using ladybird beetle predators either of aphids or coccids. These particular organisms were chosen because literature shows that the pace of life of aphids is faster than that of coccids and this difference is reflected in the life histories of the ladybirds that specialize on feeding on aphids or coccids. 3. Thirty-four species of ladybird predators of aphids and eight of coccids belonging to five different tribes were collected and reared in the laboratory. The females were weighed as well as their eggs, and their reproductive investment calculated as the number of ovarioles multiplied by the average mass of an egg. Phylogenetic relatedness was controlled for in the statistical analyses. 4. Controlling for female mass revealed that ladybird predators of aphids lay bigger eggs and have a higher reproductive investment than ladybird predators of coccids. These differences are not influenced by phylogenetic relatedness but only by the type of prey. We suggest that ladybird predators of coccids lay smaller eggs because neonate larvae do not have to search, catch and subdue prey, and that they have a smaller reproductive investment because they need to allocate more resources to locate prey. 5. Recognizing the influence of prey on the life history evolution of predators is important for understanding food web dynamics.

The evolution of childhood as a by-product?

2006 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 288-289
Author(s):  
Peter Kappeler
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Nonhuman Primates ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
History Evolution ◽  
Linguistic Skills

The proposition that selective advantages of linguistic skills have contributed to shifts in ontogenetic landmarks of human life histories in early Homo sapiens is weakened by neglecting alternative mechanisms of life history evolution. Moreover, arguments about biological continuity through sweeping comparisons with nonhuman primates do not support various assumptions of this scenario.

scholarly journals From stochastic environments to life histories and back

2009 ◽  
Vol 364 (1523) ◽  
pp. 1499-1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shripad Tuljapurkar ◽  
Jean-Michel Gaillard ◽  
Tim Coulson
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Environmental Stochasticity ◽  
Vital Rates ◽  
Stochastic Growth ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
History Evolution ◽  
Average Individual

Environmental stochasticity is known to play an important role in life-history evolution, but most general theory assumes a constant environment. In this paper, we examine life-history evolution in a variable environment, by decomposing average individual fitness (measured by the long-run stochastic growth rate) into contributions from average vital rates and their temporal variation. We examine how generation time, demographic dispersion (measured by the dispersion of reproductive events across the lifespan), demographic resilience (measured by damping time), within-year variances in vital rates, within-year correlations between vital rates and between-year correlations in vital rates combine to determine average individual fitness of stylized life histories. In a fluctuating environment, we show that there is often a range of cohort generation times at which the fitness is at a maximum. Thus, we expect ‘optimal’ phenotypes in fluctuating environments to differ from optimal phenotypes in constant environments. We show that stochastic growth rates are strongly affected by demographic dispersion, even when deterministic growth rates are not, and that demographic dispersion also determines the response of life-history-specific average fitness to within- and between-year correlations. Serial correlations can have a strong effect on fitness, and, depending on the structure of the life history, may act to increase or decrease fitness. The approach we outline takes a useful first step in developing general life-history theory for non-constant environments.

Why the CLASH model is an unconvincing evolutionary theory of crime

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian B. Boutwell ◽  
Bo Winegard
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Population Groups ◽  
Theory Of Crime ◽  
History Evolution

AbstractThe CLASH model is not convincing for two reasons. First, it ignores prior research proposing very similar ideas in a more compelling fashion. Second, it dismisses the role of genetic factors in shaping criminal propensities across population groups, opting for a facultative view of life history evolution that does not seem to square with current evidence.

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.

On the role of body size for life‐history evolution

1997 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTIAN PETER KLINGENBERG ◽  
JOHN SPENCE
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
History Evolution
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