Buffering of life histories against environmental stochasticity: accounting for a spurious correlation between the variabilities of vital rates and their contributions to fitness. Journal Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Life-history theory predicts vital rates that on average make large contributions to the annual multiplication rate of a lineage should be highly buffered against environmental variability. This prediction has been tested by looking for a negative correlation between the sensitivities (or elasticities) of the elements in a projection matrix and their variances (or coefficients of variation). Here, we show by constructing random matrices that a spurious negative correlation exists between the sensitivities and variances, and between the elasticities and coefficients of variation, of matrix elements. This spurious correlation arises in part because size transition probabilities, which are bounded by 0 and 1, have a limit to their variability that often does not apply to matrix elements representing reproduction. We advocate an alternative analysis based on the underlying vital rates (not the matrix elements) that accounts for the inherent limit to the variability of zero-to-one vital rates, corrects for sampling variation, and tests for a declining upper limit to variability as a vital rate's fitness contribution increases. Applying this analysis to demographic data from five populations of the alpine cushion plant Silene acaulis, we provide evidence of stronger buffering in the vital rates that most influence fitness.

publication date

  • April 1, 2004

has restriction

  • closed

Date in CU Experts

  • October 2, 2013 10:04 AM

Full Author List

  • Morris WF; Doak DF

author count

  • 2

Other Profiles

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1537-5323

Additional Document Info

start page

  • 579

end page

  • 590

volume

  • 163

issue

  • 4