Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Life-history theory attempts to provide evolutionary explanations for variations in the ways in which animal species live their lives. Recent analyses have suggested that the dimensionless ratios of several key life-history parameters are the same for different species, even across distant taxa. However, we show here that previous analyses may have given a false picture and created an illusion of invariants, which do not necessarily exist; essentially, this is because life-history variables have been regressed against themselves. The following question arises from our analysis: How do we identify an invariant?

Original publication

DOI

10.1126/science.1114488

Type

Journal article

Journal

Science

Publication Date

19/08/2005

Volume

309

Pages

1236 - 1239

Keywords

Analysis of Variance, Animals, Biological Evolution, Body Size, Body Weight, Disorders of Sex Development, Growth, Longevity, Mathematics, Models, Biological, Regression Analysis, Reproduction, Sexual Maturation, Species Specificity