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Life History Evolution. Traits, Interactions, and Applications. Edition No. 1

  • Book

  • 496 Pages
  • February 2025
  • John Wiley and Sons Ltd
  • ID: 6020536
Provides a timely and authoritative account of Life History Evolution by a multidisciplinary team of scholars and researchers from around the world

Life History Evolution: Traits, Interactions, and Applications presents a cutting-edge synthesis of the mechanisms driving life history strategies that span the breadth of taxa, from bacteria to humans. Integrating classical and contemporary perspectives, this comprehensive volume addresses how organisms evolve traits in response to diverse ecological pressures. Editors Michal Segoli and Eric Wajnberg bring together leading experts to explore the intersection of evolutionary biology, ecology, and applied research, focusing on the evolving complexity of life history traits and their implications.

In-depth yet accessible chapters cover a broad spectrum of life history traits, from classical traits of lifespan and reproduction to more complex interactions like social behaviour, predator-prey dynamics, and human-induced evolutionary processes. The contributing authors explain essential concepts, identify critical knowledge gaps, discuss future research directions, and demonstrate the relevance of life history evolution in addressing climate change, species invasion, pollution, and more.

Providing a well-balanced understanding of life history traits and their implications, Life History Evolution: - Incorporates recent advances in evolutionary theory, including eco-evolutionary feedback loops and anthropogenic impacts - Offers diverse perspectives and original research from leading experts in fields such as evolutionary biology, ecology, entomology, zoology, agriculture, and veterinary medicine - Discusses life history evolution in the context of co-evolved interactions such as predator-prey, parasite-host, plant-herbivore, and endosymbiont-host relationships - Provides an overview of the foundational theory, recent developments, and current thinking in the field - Features numerous case studies that highlight real-world applications in biological control, wildlife management, climate change adaptation, and others

Revealing how life history traits shape the evolutionary strategies of organisms, Life History Evolution: Traits, Interactions, and Applications is an essential resource for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers in ecological science. It is an ideal textbook for courses in evolutionary ecology, evolutionary biology, conservation biology, environmental science, and environmental management.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors xv

Foreword xix

Preface xxiii

Part I Traits 1

1 Body Size and Timing of Maturation 3
Toomas Tammaru and Tiit Teder

1.1 Introduction 3

1.2 Part I 3

1.3 Part II 13

1.4 Conclusions 18

Acknowledgements 18

References 18

2 Evolution of Ageing and Lifespan 29
Alexei A. Maklakov

2.1 Introduction 29

2.2 Evolutionary Theory of Ageing 30

2.3 Asynchronous Ageing 38

2.4 Sex Differences in Ageing 40

2.5 Williams and Anti-Williams: Age, Density and Condition-Dependence of Mortality 42

2.6 Concluding Remarks 43

Acknowledgements 43

References 43

3 Offspring Size and Life History Theory: What Do We Know?: What Do We Still Need to Learn? 49
Dustin J. Marshall

3.1 Offspring Size Defined 49

3.2 The Knowns 49

3.3 The Unknowns 55

References 57

4 The Evolution of Insect Egg Loads: The Balance of Time and Egg Limitation 61
Michal Segoli, Miriam Kishinevsky, and George E. Heimpel

4.1 Trade-Offs Between Early and Late Components of Reproduction 61

4.2 Time vs. Egg Limitation in Insects 61

4.3 Egg Maturation Patterns 62

4.4 The Relative Importance of Egg and Time Limitation 62

4.5 Additional Life History Strategies to Overcome the Risk of Egg Limitation 68

4.6 Conclusions and Future Directions 69

Acknowledgements 69

References 70

5 Sex-Specific Life Histories 77
Hanna Kokko

5.1 Introduction 77

5.2 Various Unidirectional Effects: Unguarded X, Mother’s Curse and Toxic Y 78

5.3 Multi-directionality: Coevolution of Different Traits 79

5.4 Towards Progress 90

Acknowledgements 91

References 91

6 Parental Care and Life History 97
Hope Klug and Michael B. Bonsall

6.1 What Is Parental Care and How Does It Relate to Life History? 97

6.2 Distinguishing Between the Origin and the Maintenance of Parental Care 98

6.3 Life History and the Origin of Parental Care 98

6.4 Life History and the Maintenance of Parental Care 100

6.5 Co-evolution Between Parental Care, Offspring Traits and Parental Traits 101

6.6 Sexual Selection, Life History and Sex Differences in Parental Care 102

6.7 Stochasticity, Environmental Variability, Life History and Parental Care 104

6.8 Plasticity and the Evolution of Parental Care 106

6.9 Final Conclusions and Future Directions 108

Acknowledgements 108

References 108

7 Sex Allocation 113
Jun Abe and Stuart A. West

7.1 Introduction 113

7.2 Fisher’s Theory 113

7.3 Interaction with Relatives 115

7.4 Environmental Condition 120

7.5 Future Directions 126

Acknowledgements 126

References 126

8 Life History Evolution: Complex Life Cycles Across Animal Diversity 131
Andreas Heyland, Konstantin Khalturin, and Vincent Laudet

8.1 Integration of Metamorphic Development Within the Life Cycle 131

8.2 The Regulation of Metamorphic Development by Hormones 131

8.3 Review of Metamorphic Mechanisms Across Taxa with Ecological and Evolutionary Considerations 132

8.4 Anthropogenic Environmental Impacts and Global Climate Change 144

References 145

9 Social Living and Life History Evolution, with a Focus on Ageing and Longevity 155
Judith Korb and Volker Nehring

9.1 Introduction 155

9.2 Ultimate Causes of Long Reproductive Lifespans 156

9.3 Colony Life History in Obligatory Eusocial Insects 162

9.4 Proximate Mechanisms 163

9.5 Conclusion 166

Acknowledgements 167

References 167

10 Integrating Dispersal in Life History 175
Dries Bonte

10.1 Introduction 175

10.2 Dispersal as Part of the Life History 176

10.3 The Theory of Dispersal and Life Histories 177

10.4 Dispersal-Life History Co-variation in Nature 180

10.5 Concluding Remarks and Outlook: Why Should We Care? 184

References 185

11 The Evolution of Human Life Histories 191
Megan Arnot and Ruth Mace

11.1 Introduction 191

11.2 Life History Trade-Offs 191

11.3 The Life Histories of Great Apes 192

11.4 Variation in Human Life History 195

11.5 Menopause and the Post-reproductive Lifespan 197

11.6 Final Remarks 205

References 205

Part II Interactions 213

12 Life History Traits in the Context of Predator-Prey Interactions 215
Joseph Travis

12.1 Introduction 215

12.2 Types of Predation 216

12.3 Theory for Predator-Driven Life History Evolution 217

12.4 Empirical Evidence 220

12.5 Adaptive Plasticity in Life Histories 222

12.6 Future Directions 224

Acknowledgements 225

References 225

13 Life History Trait Evolution in the Context of Host-Parasite Interactions 229
Alison B. Duncan, Giacomo Zilio, and Oliver Kaltz

13.1 Introduction 229

13.2 Host Life History Evolution in Response to Parasites 230

13.3 Parasite Life History Evolution in Response to Hosts: The Case of Virulence 238

13.4 Concluding Remarks 245

References 246

14 How Do Microbial Symbionts Shape the Life Histories of Multicellular Organisms? 255
Elad Chiel and Yuval Gottlieb

14.1 Introduction 255

14.2 Categories of Microbial Symbiosis 256

14.3 How Microbial Symbionts Are Involved in Essential Biological Functions of Their Hosts? 256

14.4 Nutritional Microbial Symbionts 257

14.5 Reproductive Microbial Symbionts 258

14.6 Defensive Microbial Endosymbionts 259

14.7 Diapause and Microbial Symbionts 262

14.8 Concluding Remarks 262

References 262

15 Ecological and Evolutionary Links Between Defences and Life History Traits in Plants 269
Xoaquín Moreira and Luis Abdala-Roberts

15.1 Evolutionary Ecology of Plant Defences Against Herbivores 269

15.2 Correlated Evolution of Plant Defences and Life History Traits 270

15.3 Tripartite Views Shed Insight into the Evolution of Plant Life History Traits 276

15.4 Challenges for Future Research 277

References 278

16 Are you in Synch?: How the Timing of Plant and Insect Life History Events Affects Pollination Interactions 285
Tamar Keasar and Tzlil Labin

16.1 Generalisation in Pollination Networks 285

16.2 What Drives Flowering Phenology? 286

16.3 What Drives Pollinator Phenology? 286

16.4 Do Interacting Plant-Insect Species Share Similar Reaction Norms to Temperature? 286

16.5 Species-Level Phenological Asynchrony and Generalized Pollination: A Case Study 287

16.6 Community-Level Phenology and Pollination Specialisation 291

16.7 Concluding Remarks 292

References 293

17 Life Histories in the Context of Mutualism 297
Renee M. Borges

17.1 Introduction 297

17.2 Mutualism Benefits and Life History Traits 298

17.3 Future Directions 306

References 307

Part III Applications 315

18 Life History and Climate Change 317
Juha Merilä and Lei lv

18.1 Introduction 317

18.2 Effects of ACC on Life History Strategies and Trade-Offs 318

18.3 Phenology 319

18.4 Body Size 320

18.5 Reproductive Output and Success 321

18.6 Survival and Senescence 322

18.7 Population Demography and Extinction Risk 324

18.8 Genetic or Environmental Responses 325

18.9 Conclusions and Outlook 326

Acknowledgements 326

References 326

19 Environmental Pollution Effects on Life History 333
Denis Réale, Loïc Quevarec, and Jean-Marc Bonzom

19.1 Introduction 333

19.2 The Role of Life History Theories in Ecotoxicology 334

19.3 The Acquisition/Allocation Principle and the Responses of Organisms to Pollution 335

19.4 Literature Survey on Mechanisms Involved in the Life History Responses to Pollutants 339

19.5 Case Studies 347

19.6 Conclusion and Future Directions 348

References 350

20 Life History Evolution on Expansion Fronts 357
Elodie Vercken and Ben L. Phillips

20.1 What Are Expansion Fronts and Why Are They Hotspots for Rapid Evolution 357

20.2 Trade-Offs Matter 363

20.3 Other Types of Expansions, How Our Expectations Might Change 364

20.4 An Applied Case Study: The Cane Toad 367

20.5 Summary and Future Directions 368

References 368

21 Adaptive Evolution of Life History Traits in Urban Environments 375
Yuval Itescu, Maud Bernard-Verdier, and Jonathan M. Jeschke

21.1 Introduction 375

21.2 Urban Drivers of Selection on Life History Traits 375

21.3 Studying Evolution in Urban Areas 379

21.4 Available Evidence of Adaptive Life History Evolution in Urban Areas 380

21.5 Synthesis and Perspectives 389

Acknowledgements 393

References 393

22 Life History and Biological Control 403
Paul K. Abram and Ryan L. Paul

22.1 Introduction 403

22.2 Selecting Among Interspecific Life History Variation 406

22.3 Managing or Manipulating Intraspecific Life History Variation 409

22.4 Using Life History to Inform Environmental Management and Agent Release Strategies 413

22.5 Future Directions and Conclusions 416

Acknowledgements 417

References 418

23 Life History and Exploitative Management of Fish and Wildlife 425
Marco Festa-Bianchet

23.1 Introduction 425

23.2 Life History Traits, Density-Dependence and Sustainable Harvest 425

23.3 Contrasting Life Histories and Harvest Potential 427

23.4 Ecological Plasticity and Evolutionary Sources of Variability: A Few Ungulate Examples 429

23.5 How Can Knowledge of Life History Traits Improve Harvest Management? 429

23.6 Life History and Trophy Hunting 431

23.7 Life History and Compensatory Population Responses to Harvest 431

23.8 The Special Case of Sexually Selected Infanticide 432

23.9 Can Harvest Affect the Evolution of Life History Strategies? 432

23.10 Conclusion and Future Directions 434

Acknowledgements 434

References 435

24 Life History and the Control of Diseases 439
Jessica E. Metcalf and Justin K. Sheen

24.1 Introduction 439

24.2 Life History Outcomes: A Classic Theoretical Scaffold to Illustrate Predictions 440

24.3 Levels of Selection 445

24.4 The Complexities of Variance and Covariation in Empirical Systems 448

24.5 Frontiers in Life History Evolution and Pathogen Control 451

24.6 Conclusions 452

References 453

Index 457

Authors

Michal Segoli Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Israel. Eric Wajnberg INRA, France.