Evolutionary shaping of demographic schedules.
Evolutionary processes of natural selection may be expected to leave their mark on age patterns of survival and reproduction. Demographic theory includes three main strands--mutation accumulation, stochastic vitality, and optimal life histories. This paper reviews the three strands and, concentratin...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
National Academy of Sciences
2014
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| Summary: | Evolutionary processes of natural selection may be expected to leave their mark on age patterns of survival and reproduction. Demographic theory includes three main strands--mutation accumulation, stochastic vitality, and optimal life histories. This paper reviews the three strands and, concentrating on mutation accumulation, extends a mathematical result with broad implications concerning the effect of interactions between small age-specific effects of deleterious mutant alleles. Empirical data from genomic sequencing along with prospects for combining strands of theory hold hope for future progress. |
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