Evolution Of Life Histories Theory and Analysis [Hardcover]

There are many different types of organisms in the world: they differ in size, physiology, appearance, and life history. The challenge for evolutionary biology is to explain how such diversity arises. The Evolution of Life Histories does this by showing that natural selection is the principal underlying force molding life history variation. The book describes in particular the ways in which variation can be analyzed and predicted. It covers both the genetic and optimization approaches to life history analysis and gives an overview of the general framework of life history theory and the mathematical tools by which predictions can be made and tested. Factors affecting the age schedule of birth and death and the costs of reproduction are discussed. The Evolution of Life Histories concentrates on those theoretical developments that have been tested experimentally. It will interest both students and professionals in evolution, evolutionary ecology, mathematical and theoretical biology, and zoology and entomology.Preface; Life history variation: a first look; Quantitative genetic background; Life history theory: a framework; Methods of analysis; Age schedules of birth and death; Costs of reproduction; Age and size at maturity; Reproductive effort; Clutch size; Offspring size; Final thoughts; Appendix: A brief review of differentiation; Glossary; References; Taxonomic index; Subject index.The text is illustrated and closes with a list of over 1,600 references and an index. Biological Abstracts; ...Roff's treatment is truly synthetic; he integrates topics like parental care, male reproductive tactics, migratory syndromes, and egg dispersion patterns firmly and thoughtfully into a unified framewrok of life-history evolution...a treatise on life-history evolution that is comprehensive and synthetic, integrating a wide diversity of theoretical and empirical literature... - Journal of Evolutionary Biology; ...a superb book. The fact thatlã7