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.

It has been proposed that the molecular and physiological systems that regulate biological functions impose costs and constraints that are fundamental to the understanding of variation in life histories. In particular, studies of oxidative stress emphasize how evolutionary contingency can impose novel trade-offs for organisms, and how this may create or eliminate functional linkages between traits. Here, we critically assess the conceptual and empirical basis for these claims and what they mean for the study of life-history variation. Two key challenges are to go beyond the current focus on single components of regulatory systems, assessed at single points in time, and to establish the importance of trait- and stage-specific nutrient requirements for the functional linkage between life-history traits. Furthermore, future progress will critically depend on the replication of laboratory studies in natural settings to target the complexity of trade-off regulation in the wild. © 2011 by American Institute of Biological Sciences. All rights reserved.

Original publication

DOI

10.1525/bio.2011.61.3.5

Type

Journal article

Journal

BioScience

Publication Date

01/03/2011

Volume

61

Pages

194 - 202