Co-existence of multiple trade-off currencies shapes evolutionary outcomes

Alan A Cohen, Caroline Isaksson and Roberto Salguero-Gómez

PLOS ONE, 2017, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: Evolutionary studies often assume that energy is the primary resource (i.e. “currency”) at the heart of the survival-reproduction trade-off, despite recent evidence to the contrary. The evolutionary consequences of having a single trade-off currency versus multiple competing currencies are unknown. Using simulations, we modeled the evolution of either a single physiological currency between reproduction and survival, or of multiple such currencies. For a wide array of model specifications varying functional forms and strengths of the trade-offs, we show that the presence of multiple currencies (e.g. nutrients, time) generally results in the evolution of higher lifetime reproductive success through partial circumvention of such trade-offs. Evolution of the underlying physiology is also more highly contingent with multiple currencies. These results challenge the paradigm of a single survival-reproduction trade-off as central to life history evolution, suggesting greater roles for physiological constraints and contingency, and implying potential selection for evolution of multiple trade-off currencies.

Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0189124

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189124

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