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Life-history evolution in the anthropocene: effects of increasing nutrients on traits and trade-offs
Author
Snell-Rood, EmilieCothran, Rickey
Espeset, Anne
Jeyasingh, Punidan
Hobbie, Sarah
Morehouse, Nathan I.
Date
2015Type
ArticleAbstract
Variation in life-history traits can have major impacts on the ecological and evolutionary responses of populations to environmental change. Life-history variation often results from trade-offs that arise because individuals have a limited pool of resources to allocate among traits. However, human activities are increasing the availability of many once-limited resources, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, with potentially major implications for the expression and evolution of life history trade-offs. In this review, we synthesize contemporary life history and sexual selection literature with current research on ecosystem nutrient cycling to highlight novel opportunities presented by anthropogenic environmental change for investigating life-history trait development and evolution. Specifically, we review four areas where nutrition plays a pivotal role in life-history evolution and explore possible implications in the face of rapid, human-induced change in nutrient availability. For example, increases in the availability of nutrients may relax historical life-history trade-offs and reduce the honesty of signaling systems. We argue that ecosystems experiencing anthropogenic nutrient inputs present a powerful yet underexplored arena for testing novel and longstanding questions in organismal life-history evolution.
Permanent link
http://hdl.handle.net/11714/5920Additional Information
Journal Title | Evolutionary Applications |
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Rights | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
Rights Holder | Authors |