Evolution of plant life history strategies: from Cole to contemporary invasion ecology

Abstract

F. Aragón, C. 2014. Evolution of plant life history strategies: from Cole to contemporary invasion ecology. Ecosistemas 23(3): 6-12. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2014.23-3.02

This review deals with the evolutionary and theoretical aspects of plant life histories, from the seminal works of Cole to the most recent theoretical and empirical approaches. I review the concepts of life history and of trade-offs among life history traits that have a strong impact on lifetime fitness (survival, time to first reproduction, number of reproductive episodes, reproductive effort at each reproductive episode). I synthesize the vast theoretical modelization developed so far, which attempts to predict under which circumstances some strategies will be favored against others, or in which scenarios different strategies could coexist within populations. Finally, I discuss whether non-equilibrium populations, with emphasis on populations of invasive species expanding their ranges rapidly, experience different selective forces than do populations at spatial equilibrium. Range shifts can have profound effects on the evolution of a species’ life history, a phenomenon that can be witnessed over ecological timescales and with potential implications for biodiversity conservation.