Trade-off-invariant rules for evolutionarily stable life histories
Article Abstract:
There are three main life-history attributes which will probably evolve to equilibrium values that satisfy a universal numerical rule in non-growing, age-structured populations. It is possible to state that the underlying trade-off will have a slope of -1 at the optimum, irrespective of most other elements of the trade-off. The three attributes - size of an offspring in large litters, age at first breeding and reproductive effort - can be seen as an allocation decision between only two alternatives. This approach reduces darwinian fitness to a function of a small number of aggregate variables.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1997
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Pelvic problems for mammals
Article Abstract:
Traditional theories on the classification of mammals have been called into question by research that has identified epipubic bones, which are associated with marsupials, in fossil mammals which would in all other respects be regarded as placentals. The presence and function of the epipubis is a very complex issue, even in living mammals. Scientists are still relatively unaware about what any possessor of the epipubis does with it, and there is no detailed anatomy of the links and functions of epipubic bones for most marsupial species.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1997
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Some neglected relatives
Article Abstract:
There is evidence of a relationship between multituberculates and the monotremes and both exhibit a close relationship with therians. The mandible is the only jaw bone in mammals and the small bones that form the lower jaw get detached in the mammalians to form bones of the middle ear, while in the multituberculates the detachment follows a different path. The mandible and middle ear bones of multituberculates and monotremes are evolved in a similar manner.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1995
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