TY - JOUR
T1 - Life histories are not just fast or slow
AU - Stott, Iain
AU - Salguero-Gómez, Roberto
AU - Jones, Owen R.
AU - Ezard, Thomas H.G.
AU - Gamelon, Marlène
AU - Lachish, Shelly
AU - Lebreton, Jean Dominique
AU - Simmonds, Emily G.
AU - Gaillard, Jean Michel
AU - Hodgson, Dave J.
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - Life history strategies, which combine schedules of survival, development, and reproduction, shape how natural selection acts on species’ heritable traits and organismal fitness. Comparative analyses have historically ranked life histories along a fast–slow continuum, describing a negative association between time allocation to reproduction and development versus survival. However, higher-quality, more representative data and analyses have revealed that life history variation cannot be fully accounted for by this single continuum. Moreover, studies often do not test predictions from existing theories and instead operate as exploratory exercises. To move forward, we offer three recommendations for future investigations: standardizing life history traits, overcoming taxonomic siloes, and using theory to move from describing to understanding life history variation across the Tree of Life.
AB - Life history strategies, which combine schedules of survival, development, and reproduction, shape how natural selection acts on species’ heritable traits and organismal fitness. Comparative analyses have historically ranked life histories along a fast–slow continuum, describing a negative association between time allocation to reproduction and development versus survival. However, higher-quality, more representative data and analyses have revealed that life history variation cannot be fully accounted for by this single continuum. Moreover, studies often do not test predictions from existing theories and instead operate as exploratory exercises. To move forward, we offer three recommendations for future investigations: standardizing life history traits, overcoming taxonomic siloes, and using theory to move from describing to understanding life history variation across the Tree of Life.
KW - life history strategy
KW - life history theory
KW - life history trait
KW - phylogenetic comparative analysis
KW - reproductive tactic
KW - Biological Evolution
KW - Reproduction
KW - Animals
KW - Life History Traits
KW - Selection, Genetic
U2 - 10.1016/j.tree.2024.06.001
DO - 10.1016/j.tree.2024.06.001
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 39003192
AN - SCOPUS:85198368421
SN - 0169-5347
VL - 39
SP - 830
EP - 840
JO - Trends in Ecology and Evolution
JF - Trends in Ecology and Evolution
IS - 9
ER -