Life history implications of allocation to growth versus
reproduction in Dynamic Energy Budgets
Lika, K. and Kooijman, S. A. L. M. 2003.
Life history implications of allocation to growth versus
reproduction in Dynamic Energy Budgets
Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 65: 809 - 834
Abstract
We compare the implications of determinate versus indeterminate
growth of a parthenogenetic iteroparous ectotherm at constant food
density in the context of the Dynamic Energy Budget theory, which
specifies the tight links between life history traits, such as
feeding, aging, growth and reproduction. We do a comperative
analysis using as measure of fitness, the life span reproduction,
the population growth rate, and the conversion efficiency of food to
biomass. When extrinsic mortality is constant, indeterminate growth
cannot maximize fitness if measured by the population growth rate or
the conversion efficiency, except when mortality is low, in which
case both type of animals are similar. If the fitness measure is
life span reproduction, indeterminate growth maximizes fitness even
with constant mortality, provided is not very high. When mortality
decreases with size, indeterminate growth maximizes fitness for
almost all measures of fitness. Finally, we suggest an evolutionary
link between allocation strategies and expected life span. In
populations of long living species, each type of animal can
establish in the population of the other. In populations of short
living species, determinate growers can invade, and displace, a
population of indeterminate ones. However, when the mortality risk
of organisms with small size is much higher than those of large
size, indeterminate growers can be superior.