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Journal article : Letter

Life history adaptations to fluctuating environments: combined effects of demographic buffering and lability

Abstract:
Demographic buffering and lability have been identified as adaptive strategies to optimise fitness in a fluctuating environment. These are not mutually exclusive, however, we lack efficient methods to measure their relative importance for a given life history. Here, we decompose the stochastic growth rate (fitness) into components arising from nonlinear responses and variance-covariance of demographic parameters to an environmental driver, which allows studying joint effects of buffering and lability. We apply this decomposition for 154 animal matrix population models under different scenarios to explore how these main fitness components vary across life histories. Faster-living species appear more responsive to environmental fluctuations, either positively or negatively. They have the highest potential for strong adaptive demographic lability, while demographic buffering is a main strategy in slow-living species. Our decomposition provides a comprehensive framework to study how organisms adapt to variability through buffering and lability, and to predict species responses to climate change.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Files:
Publisher copy:
10.1111/ele.14071

Authors


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Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-0911-2506
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Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0003-2192-1039
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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MPLS
Department:
Biology
Role:
Author
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Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0003-1197-5818


Publisher:
Wiley
Journal:
Ecology Letters More from this journal
Volume:
25
Issue:
10
Pages:
2107-2119
Publication date:
2022-08-20
Acceptance date:
2022-06-14
DOI:
EISSN:
1461-0248
ISSN:
1461-023X
Pmid:
35986627


Language:
English
Keywords:
Subtype:
Letter
Pubs id:
1275285
Local pid:
pubs:1275285
Deposit date:
2022-10-13

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