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Selection on age at first and at last reproduction in the long‐lived Alpine Swift Apus melba
Author(s) -
TETTAMANTI FEDERICO,
WITVLIET WILLEM,
BIZE PIERRE
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
ibis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1474-919X
pISSN - 0019-1019
DOI - 10.1111/j.1474-919x.2012.01215.x
Subject(s) - reproduction , selection (genetic algorithm) , biology , trait , senescence , life history theory , adaptation (eye) , life history , longevity , evolutionary biology , ecology , zoology , demography , genetics , sociology , artificial intelligence , computer science , programming language , neuroscience
The way an organism spreads its reproduction over time is defined as a life‐history trait, and selection is expected to favour life‐history traits associated with the highest fitness return. We use a long‐term dataset of 277 life histories to investigate the shape and strength of selection acting on the age at first reproduction and at last reproduction in the long‐lived Alpine Swift. Both traits were under strong directional selection, but in opposite directions, with selection favouring birds starting their reproductive career early and being able to reproduce for longer. There was also evidence for stabilising selection acting on both traits, suggesting that individuals should nonetheless refrain from reproducing in their first 2 years of life (i.e. when inexperienced), and that reproducing after 7 years of age had little effect on lifetime fitness, probably due to senescence.