Risk spreading as an adaptive strategy in iteroparous life histories (Q789343)

A population model is presented where random variation in the fecundity elements of the Leslie matrix exhibits serial correlation, and that guarantees stationarity. It is shown that the average Leslie matrix overestimates the actual growth achieved under the random process, the discrepancy increasing with the variance in the population's birth rate, which itself increases with the environmental variability, and decreases with iteroparity in the life table. Iteroparity will function adaptively in a fluctuating environment by allowing the realized long-term growth rate to approach more closely the value associated with the average Leslie matrix. The mechanism by which this is achieved is a time-averaging process which smoothes the fluctuations in the population birth rate. At the level of the individual, this will appear as a risk-spreading strategy.