Competition and body size (Q1081557)
From MaRDI portal
scientific article
Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
---|---|---|---|
English | Competition and body size |
scientific article |
Statements
Competition and body size (English)
0 references
1986
0 references
If being larger than competing conspecifics is important for fitness, then an unstable escalation of body size may result. In asexual populations, a cycling of sizes can occur but for sexual diploids, an irreversible size increase is more likely. Several factors can produce a stable distribution of sizes, but a single body size or even a narrow range of sizes cannot be stable. For example, enough environmental variance can produce stability without any genetic variability in the population. Or, with no environmental variance, a high cost of fighting between similar sizes or, for diploids, an increasing mortality with size may lead to a stable distribution of sizes. A game theory model is used to investigate the existence and form of a stable distribution of body sizes in a population.
0 references
competition
0 references
asexual populations
0 references
sexual diploids
0 references
stable distribution of body sizes
0 references