The Optimal Balance between Size and Number of Offspring
TL;DR: The relationship between the energy expended per offspring, fitness of offspring, and parental fitness is presented in a two-dimensional graphical model and the validity of the model in determining an optimal parental strategy is demonstrated analytically.
Abstract: The relationship between the energy expended per offspring, fitness of offspring, and parental fitness is presented in a two-dimensional graphical model. The validity of the model in determining an optimal parental strategy is demonstrated analytically. The model applies under various conditions of parental care and sibling care for the offspring but is most useful for species that produce numerous small offspring which are given no parental care.
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TL;DR: In this Address, the author will attempt some quantification, but will not be able to emulate those former Presidents who have been able to provide a definitative synthesis of a field or of their own studies, and his offering can be but a small beginning, an indication of the type of characteristics the authors should quantify.
Abstract: The very etymology of Ecology, from the greek 'Qikos', 'the household', implies that ecologists should devote some attention to the 'house' or habitat of the population or community they are studying. However, as Charles Elton (1966) has so forcibly pointed out, 'definition of habitats, or rather lack of it, is one of the chief blind spots in Zoology'. Elton himself has provided us with a qualitative classification of habitats, while another past President, Alex Watt (1947) highlighted the dynamic nature of habitats by his phrase, 'pattern and process'. Elton referred to the need to quantify habitat characteristics. In this Address I will attempt some quantification;however, you will all be aware that in doing this I will not be able to emulate those former Presidents who have been able to provide a definitative synthesis of a field or of their own studies, my offering can be but a small beginning, an indication of the type of characteristics we should quantify. In considering ecosystem patterns and environment R. M. May (1974) writes 'it is to be emphasized that although patterns may underlie the rich and varied tapestry of the natural world, there is no single simple pattern. Theories must be pluralistic'. Indeed, the complexity of the subject is daunting and in any attempt to formulate some type of general framework, one is continually beset with exceptions. In stressing the need for a framework I am echoing a plea of my predecessor Amyan Macfadyen (1975) who cited K. E. F. Watt's (1971) vivid image 'if we do not develop a strong theoretical core that will bring all parts of ecology back together we shall all be washed out to sea in an immense tide of unrelated information'. In some ways I think we may see ourselves at a similar point to the inorganic chemist before the development of the periodic table; then he could not predict, for example, how soluble a particular sulphate would be, or what was the likelihood of a particular reaction occurring. Each fact had to be discovered for itself and each must be remembered in isolation. It is noteworthy that from Dobereiner's early efforts in 1816 it took more than fifty years before Mendeleeff ormulated his Periodic Law (1869) and even after this there were various attempts at rearrangement. Another parallel may be drawn with astronomy before the development of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram that relates the evolution and the properties of stars. Again in our own subject biology, the situation is somewhat analagous to that before the formulation of the Linnean system of classification; but now from this system of classification, we are able to organize our knowledge of, for example, the functional morphology of organisms and we can even make assumptions, with a high probability
2,169 citations
Journal Article•
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TL;DR: The author wished to relate the three phases of research on insects and to express insect sociology as population biology in this detailed survey of knowledge of insect societies.
Abstract: In his introduction to this detailed survey of knowledge of insect societies, the author points out that research on insect sociology has proceeded in three phases, the natural history phase, the physiological phase and the population-biology phase. Advances in the first two phases have permitted embarkation in the third phase on a more rigorous theory of social evolution based on population genetics and writing this book, the author wished to relate the three phases of research on insects and to express insect sociology as population biology. A glossary of terms, a considerable bibliography and a general index are included. Other CABI sites
1,394 citations
Book•
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TL;DR: This work has shown clear trends in the dispersal and regeneration of seeds in disturbed areas, and these trends are likely to continue into the next decade.
Abstract: What determines the number and size of the seeds produced by a plant? How often should it reproduce them? How often should a plant produce them? Why and how are seeds dispersed, and what are the implications for the diversity and composition of vegetation? These are just some of the questions tackled in this wide-ranging review of the role of seeds in the ecology of plants. The authors bring together information on the ecological aspects of seed biology, starting with a consideration of reproductive strategies in seed plants and progressing through the life cycle, covering seed maturation, dispersal, storage in the soil, dormancy, germination, seedling establishment, and regeneration in the field. The text encompasses a wide range of concepts of general relevance to plant ecology, reflecting the central role that the study of seed ecology has played in elucidating many fundamental aspects of plant community function.
1,382 citations
Cites background from "The Optimal Balance between Size an..."
...Where this balance is struck traditionally has been explained by optimization models (e.g. Smith & Fretwell, 1974)....
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TL;DR: Interspecific patterns of fish life histories were evaluated in relation to several theoretical models of life-history evolution to explore relationships among variables and to ordinate species.
Abstract: Interspecific patterns of fish life histories were evaluated in relation to several theoretical models of life-history evolution. Data were gathered for 216 North American fish species (57 families) to explore relationships among variables and to ordinate species. Multivariate tests, performed on freshwater, marine, and combined data matrices, repeatedly identified a gradient associating later-maturing fishes with higher fecundity, small eggs, and few bouts of reproduction during a short spawning season and the opposite suite of traits with small fishes. A second strong gradient indicated positive associations between parental care, egg size, and extended breeding seasons. Phylogeny affected each variable, and some higher taxonomic groupings were associated with particular life-history strategies. High-fecundity characteristics tended to be associated with large species ranges in the marine environment. Age at maturation, adult growth rate, life span, and egg size positively correlated with anadromy. Pare...
1,374 citations
01 Jan 1979
1,258 citations
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TL;DR: A genetical mathematical model is described which allows for interactions between relatives on one another's fitness and a quantity is found which incorporates the maximizing property of Darwinian fitness, named “inclusive fitness”.
14,730 citations
Book•
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01 Jan 1971
TL;DR: In this article, a definitive study of the social structure and symbiotic relationships of termites, social wasps, bees, and ants was conducted. But the authors focused on the relationship between ants and termites.
Abstract: Conducts a definitive study of the social structure and symbiotic relationships of termites, social wasps, bees, and ants.
4,679 citations
3,382 citations
1,445 citations