Evol Ecol Res 1: 987-1002 (1999)     Full PDF if your library subscribes.

Investing for survival of rare severe stresses in heterogeneous environments

Dan Cohen¹ and Marc Mangel²

¹Department of Evolution, Systematics and Ecology, The Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel and  ²Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA

Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed.
e-mail: dancohen@vms.huji.ac.il

ABSTRACT

We model the ESS investment of limiting resources for survival of rare severe stresses, with an emphasis on investment by trees in mechanical strength for survival of storm stresses. The basic model includes the effects of the fitness benefits of increased survival, the cost in reproduction, the effects of the distributions and timing of the stress in the population, and of stress-independent mortality. The ESS investment in survival of unsynchronized stresses increases if stress-independent mortality decreases, and if the cost of the resistance decreases. The ESS investment increases, and then decreases, when the probability of extreme stresses increases. The fitness of each individual increases if the allocation of resources for resisting stress is optimally adapted to its local stress probability distribution. A Bayesian model is constructed for updating the estimate of the local stress probability distribution, which each individual can get from the exposure to sub-lethal stresses during its life. This estimate can then be used for the ESS investment. The results are discussed and applied to a wider class of organisms, stresses and resistance mechanisms.

Keywords: Bayesian updating, ESS survival, exponential distribution, rare stress, storm damage, threshold stress, trees.

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        © 1999 Dan Cohen. All EER articles are copyrighted by their authors. All authors endorse, permit and license Evolutionary Ecology Ltd. to grant its subscribing institutions/libraries the copying privileges specified below without additional consideration or payment to them or to Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. These endorsements, in writing, are on file in the office of Evolutionary Ecology, Ltd. Consult authors for permission to use any portion of their work in derivative works, compilations or to distribute their work in any commercial manner.

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