Diversity of ageing across the tree of life

Owen R. Jones (), Alexander Scheuerlein, Roberto Salguero-Gómez, Carlo Giovanni Camarda, Ralf Schaible, Brenda B. Casper, Johan P. Dahlgren, Johan Ehrlén, María B. García, Eric S. Menges, Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio, Hal Caswell, Annette Baudisch and James W. Vaupel
Additional contact information
Owen R. Jones: Max-Planck Odense Center on the Biodemography of Aging, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
Alexander Scheuerlein: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Konrad-Zuse-Strasse 1, 18057 Rostock, Germany
Roberto Salguero-Gómez: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Konrad-Zuse-Strasse 1, 18057 Rostock, Germany
Carlo Giovanni Camarda: Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques, 133 Boulevard Davout, 75980 Paris Cédex 20, France
Ralf Schaible: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Konrad-Zuse-Strasse 1, 18057 Rostock, Germany
Brenda B. Casper: University of Pennsylvania, 433 South University Avenue
Johan P. Dahlgren: Max-Planck Odense Center on the Biodemography of Aging, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
Johan Ehrlén: Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Lilla Frescativägen 5, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
María B. García: Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (CSIC), Avenida Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
Eric S. Menges: Archbold Biological Station, 123 Main Drive
Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio: University of Central Florida, 4110 Libra Drive, Orlando, Florida 32816-2368, USA
Hal Caswell: University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
Annette Baudisch: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Konrad-Zuse-Strasse 1, 18057 Rostock, Germany
James W. Vaupel: Max-Planck Odense Center on the Biodemography of Aging, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark

Nature, 2014, vol. 505, issue 7482, 169-173

Abstract: Abstract Evolution drives, and is driven by, demography. A genotype moulds its phenotype’s age patterns of mortality and fertility in an environment; these two patterns in turn determine the genotype’s fitness in that environment. Hence, to understand the evolution of ageing, age patterns of mortality and reproduction need to be compared for species across the tree of life. However, few studies have done so and only for a limited range of taxa. Here we contrast standardized patterns over age for 11 mammals, 12 other vertebrates, 10 invertebrates, 12 vascular plants and a green alga. Although it has been predicted that evolution should inevitably lead to increasing mortality and declining fertility with age after maturity, there is great variation among these species, including increasing, constant, decreasing, humped and bowed trajectories for both long- and short-lived species. This diversity challenges theoreticians to develop broader perspectives on the evolution of ageing and empiricists to study the demography of more species.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/nature12789

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