Mechanisms of Life History Evolution

Life history theory seeks to explain the evolution of the major features of life cycles by analyzing the ecological factors that shape age-specific schedules of growth, reproduction, and survival and by investigating the trade-offs that constrain the evolution of these traits. Although life history theory has made enormous progress in explaining the diversity of life history strategies among species, it traditionally ignores the underlying proximate mechanisms. This novel book argues that many fundamental problems in life history evolution, including the nature of trade-offs, can only be fully resolved if we begin to integrate information on developmental, physiological, and genetic mechanisms into the classical life history framework. Each chapter is written by an established or up-and-coming leader in their respective field; they not only represent the state of the art but also offer fresh perspectives for future research. The text is divided into 7 sections that cover basic concepts (Part 1), the mechanisms that affect different parts of the life cycle (growth, development, and maturation; reproduction; and aging and somatic maintenance) (Parts 2-4), life history plasticity (Part 5), life history integration and trade-offs (Part 6), and concludes with a synthesis chapter written by a prominent leader in the field and an editorial postscript (Part 7). [This book] single-handedly kept me off a computer for a long time and renewed my excitement about books. ... The content is motivating. Excellent chapters, sections and overview by the editors will turn this book into a much-read, dog-eared reference staple. Highly recommended. Andrew P. Beckerman, Times Higher Education Flatt and Heyland have clearly spent much time editing this book and have produced an effective template for an impressive set of authors, organised contributions into coherant sets with logical flow, and offer their own preview of each section. This provides readers with multiple points of access to the material. The content is motivating, the 25 chapters in this book shed light on many advances made ... For some, the most compelling aspects of this book will be the pair of chapters where Stearns and the editors argue over the merits of this "molecular natural history" ... these chapters make for one of the most exciting exchanges in print for a long time. Andrew P. Beckerman, Times Higher Education For years there has been a divide between biologists that asked why and those that asked how. This book integrates the two perspectives beautifully, while addressing the most fundamental of all aspects of an organism - its life history. Here we learn how adopting genetic, genomic, and physiological perspectives informs evolutionary patterns of birth, growth, reproduction, ageing, and death. This book comprehensively reviews and informs us about the latest developments in mechanistic and evolutionary approaches to understanding the diversity of life history patterns in nature. With chapters by the authorities and innovators in the field, this is a work that will inform and inspire my laboratory for years to come. Professor Allen J. Moore, University of Exeter, UK This volume contains an impressive amount of information about the molecular and physiological mechanisms behind life-history trade-offs, with contributions from leading authors in the field. It should be an excellent entry to this vast literature for those who wish to bring the field further and wish to understand how organismal life-histories evolve and the factors that constrain them. The book also includes a critical discussion about the utility of mechanistic knowledge in the development of life-history theory; here radically different viewpoints are contrasted against each other. I recommend this book to those who are interested in this classical field and the many controversies surrounding it. Professor Erik Svensson, Lund University, Sweden This compilation by Flatt and Heyland is especially timely as it fills a long-standing lacuna in the balanced integration of ecology, evolution and development. The book brings together well written chapters by many leading experts, covering mechanisms of life-history traits and trade-offs in a range of organisms from algae to angiosperms and cnidarians to humans. Unlike in many compilations, the broader issues and questions are always in sight. Section headers that thread together related chapters do a great job of putting the issues in a more general conceptual context, something that will be particularly helpful for graduate students. I can imagine this book being a superb resource for established researchers and graduate students alike. Professor Amitabh Joshi, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, India This volume contains an impressive amount of information about the molecular and physiological mechanisms behind life-history trade-offs, with contributions from leading authors in the field. It should be an excellent entry to this vast literature for those who wish to bring the field further and wish to understand how organismal life-histories evolve and the factors that constrain them. The book also includes a critical discussion about the utility of mechanistic knowledge in the development of life-history theory; here radically different viewpoints are contrasted against each other. I recommend this book to those who are interested in this classical field and the many controversies surrounding it. Professor Erik Svensson, Lund University, Sweden This book is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in life history. My own research is moving from behavioural ecology into a more detailed examination of the mechanisms underlying life history trade-offs and I found fascinating insights into the field of life history. The chapters are detailed enough to satisfy me as an experienced researcher, but also would offer a wonderful introduction to graduate students or early career scientists wanting to engage in this field of study. I particularly liked the concluding chapters, which provide insight into the challenges that lie at the intersection between molecular mechanisms and evolutionary outcomes. I am certain that this book is one that will be frequently pulled off my shelf as I work to design and understand my experiments. Professor Patricia Moore, University of Exeter, UK Flatt and Heyland's exciting new volume gives a rich harvest of current work on life history evolution across the Animal and Plant kingdoms. Wisely, the editors included several chapters discussing human biology. The diverse species discussed should catalyze biomedical researchers to look beyond the standard animal models of fly, worm, and mouse. Inclusion of diverse life history paradigms will be essential to developing the genomics of life history evolution. Professor Caleb E. Finch, University of Southern California, USA An expanded modern synthesis of evolutionary biology, which truly integrates ecology, evolution, and development, is on the horizon. This edited volume brings together an impressive team of scientists from diverse fields in an attempt to integrate recent advances in molecular and developmental biology with traditional life history theory. In so doing, this volume will not only inspire a better understanding of the evolution of development, but will also inspire revisions and advances in traditional life history theory, and thus, take us one step closer toward achieving an expanded evolutionary synthesis. Professor Ehab Abouheif, McGill University, Canada This edited volume provides a fresh and much-needed update to the venerable field of life history evolution by emphasizing the importance of understanding its underlying genetic and molecular basis. Professor Gregory Wray, Duke University, USA Flatt and Heyland have solicited contributions from an impressive array of researchers studying the mechanisms of life history evolution in organisms ranging from algae to humans. Foreword: Harvey's Legacy ; Preface ; PART 1: INTEGRATING MECHANISMS INTO LIFE HISTORY EVOLUTION ; 1. Integrating Mechanistic and Evolutionary Analysis of Life History Variation ; 2. Genomic Insights into Life History Evolution ; PART 2: GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND MATURATION ; 3. Emerging Patterns in the Regulation and Evolution of Marine Invertebrate Settlement and Metamorphosis ; 4. Evolution and the Regulation of Growth and Body Size ; 5. The Genetic and Endocrine Basis for the Evolution of Metamorphosis in Insects ; 6. Thyroidal Regulation of Life History Transitions in Fish ; 7. Hormone Regulation and the Evolution of Frog Metamorphic Diversity ; PART 3: REPRODUCTION ; 8. Asexual Reproduction in Cnidaria: Comparative Developmental Processes and Candidate Mechanisms ; 9. The Genetics and Evolution of Flowering Time Variation in Plants: Identifying Genes that Control a Key Life History Transition ; 10. Mechanisms of Nutrient Dependent Reproduction in Dipteran Insects ; 11. Mechanisms Underlying Reproductive Trade-offs: Costs of Reproduction ; 12. Patterns and Processes of Human Life History Evolution ; PART 4: LIFESPAN, AGING AND SOMATIC MAINTENANCE ; 13. Parallels in Understanding the Endocrine Control of Lifespan with the Firebug Pyrrhocoris apterus and the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster ; 14. Chapter 14: The Genetics of Dietary Modulation of Lifespan ; 15. Molecular Stress Pathways and the Evolution of Life Histories in Reptiles ; 16. Mechanisms of Aging in Human Populations ; PART 5: LIFE HISTORY PLASTICITY ; 17. Mechanisms Underlying Feeding-Structure Plasticity in Echinoderm Larvae ; 18. Evolution and Mechanisms of Insect Reproductive Diapause, a Plastic and Pleiotropic Life History Syndrome ; 19. Seasonal Polyphenisms and Environmentally-Induced Plasticity in the Lepidoptera - the Coordinated Evolution of Many Traits on Multiple Levels ; 20. Honey Bee Life history Plasticity - Development, Behavior, and Aging ; PART 6: LIFE HISTORY INTEGRATION AND TRADE-OFFS ; 21. Molecular Mechanisms of Life History Trade-Offs and the Evolution of Multicellular Complexity in Volvocalean Green Algae ; 22. Molecular Basis of Life History Regulation in C. elegans and Other Organisms ; 23. The Costs of Immunity and the Evolution of Immunological Defense Mechanisms ; 24. Intermediary Metabolism and the Biochemical-Molecular Basis of Life history Variation and Trade-offs in Two Insect Models ; 25. Epistatic Social and Endocrine Networks and the Evolution of Life History Trade-offs and Plasticity ; 26. Hormonally-Regulated Trade-Offs: Evolutionary Variability and Phenotypic Plasticity in Testosterone Signaling Pathways ; PART 7: CONCLUDING REMARKS ; 27. Does Impressive Progress on Understanding Mechanisms Advance Life History Theory? ; 28. What Mechanistic Insights Can or Cannot Contribute to Life History Evolution - An Exchange Between Stearns, Heyland, and Flatt ; References ; Index