TY - JOUR

T1 - The predictability and magnitude of life-history divergence to ecological agents of selection

T2 - a meta-analysis in livebearing fishes

AU - Moore, Michael

AU - Riesch, Rudiger

AU - Martin, Ryan

PY - 2016/4

Y1 - 2016/4

N2 - Environments causing variation in age-specific mortality – ecological agents of selection – mediate the evolution of reproductive life-history traits. However, the relative magnitude of life-history divergence across selective agents, whether divergence in response to specific selective agents is consistent across taxa and whether it occurs as predicted by theory, remains largely unexplored. We evaluated divergence in offspring size, offspring number, and the trade-off between these traits using a meta-analysis in livebearing fishes (Poeciliidae). Life-history divergence was consistent and predictable to some (predation, hydrogen sulphide) but not all (density, food limitation, salinity) selective agents. In contrast, magnitudes of divergence among selective agents were similar. Finally, there was a negative, asymmetric relationship between offspring-number and offspring-size divergence, suggesting greater costs of increasing offspring size than number. Ultimately, these results provide strong evidence for predictable and consistent patterns of reproductive life-history divergence and highlight the importance of comparing phenotypic divergence across species and ecological selective agents.

AB - Environments causing variation in age-specific mortality – ecological agents of selection – mediate the evolution of reproductive life-history traits. However, the relative magnitude of life-history divergence across selective agents, whether divergence in response to specific selective agents is consistent across taxa and whether it occurs as predicted by theory, remains largely unexplored. We evaluated divergence in offspring size, offspring number, and the trade-off between these traits using a meta-analysis in livebearing fishes (Poeciliidae). Life-history divergence was consistent and predictable to some (predation, hydrogen sulphide) but not all (density, food limitation, salinity) selective agents. In contrast, magnitudes of divergence among selective agents were similar. Finally, there was a negative, asymmetric relationship between offspring-number and offspring-size divergence, suggesting greater costs of increasing offspring size than number. Ultimately, these results provide strong evidence for predictable and consistent patterns of reproductive life-history divergence and highlight the importance of comparing phenotypic divergence across species and ecological selective agents.

KW - divergent natural selection

KW - fecundity

KW - life-history evolution

KW - maternal investment

KW - offspring size

KW - Offspring size/number trade-off

KW - Poeciliidae

KW - reproductive allocation

U2 - 10.1111/ele.12576

DO - 10.1111/ele.12576

M3 - Article

VL - 19

SP - 435

EP - 442

JO - Ecology Letters

JF - Ecology Letters

SN - 1461-023X

IS - 4

ER -