Evidence of reduced individual heterogeneity in adult survival of long-lived species

Abstract

The canalization hypothesis postulates that the rate at which trait variation generates variation in the average individual fitness in a population determines how buffered traits are against environmental and genetic factors. The ranking of a species on the slow-fast continuum - the covariation among life-history traits describing species-specific life cycles along a gradient going from a long life, slow maturity, and low annual reproductive output, to a short life, fast maturity, and high annual reproductive output - strongly correlates with the relative fitness impact of a given amount of variation in adult survival. Under the canalization hypothesis, long-lived species are thus expected to display less individual heterogeneity in survival at the onset of adulthood, when reproductive values peak, than short-lived species. We tested this life-history prediction by analysing long-term time series of individual-based data in nine species of birds and mammals using capture-recapture models. We found that individual heterogeneity in survival was higher in species with short-generation time (< 3 years) than in species with long generation time (> 4 years). Our findings provide the first piece of empirical evidence for the canalization hypothesis at the individual level from the wild.

From early life to senescence: individual heterogeneity in a long‐lived seabird

“…This prediction, is supported for survival by results from a comparative study on 11 populations belonging to 9 species situated on the slow‐fast continuum (Péron et al. ) but needs to be further investigated in future studies.…”

Ageing with a silver-spoon: A meta-analysis of the effect of developmental environment on senescence

“…This is because if good environmental conditions during the first part of life (i.e., during development and early‐reproductive life) result in higher reproductive investment in early adult life, investment in late‐life reproduction should be reduced, potentially increasing the rates of reproductive senescence. In addition, if a correlation between developmental and late‐life environment was what was driving the effect of developmental environment on senescence, we would expect to see a significant effect in survival senescence rates (Reichert et al ; Bleu et al ; Le Coeur et al ; Péron et al ), in addition to the observed effect on reproductive senescence rates.…”

Condition Bias of Decoy‐Harvested Light Geese During the Conservation Order

“…Accordingly, hunter‐harvested ducks are hypothesized to have lower natural survival probabilities than those not harvested (Sedinger and Herzog , Péron ). Compared to other waterfowl, ducks are short‐lived species and are therefore expected to display greater levels of heterogeneity in survival probabilities relative to longer‐lived species that implement bet‐hedging strategies to minimize annual mortality risks and buffer against genetic and environmental perturbations through a process known as canalization (Waddington , Nevoux et al , Péron et al ).…”

“…Tests of the condition bias hypothesis have been limited among longer‐lived waterfowl, such as geese. Inferences from the canalization hypothesis predict reduced individual heterogeneity in annual survival and body condition because of their longer life spans (Péron et al ). Morez et al () did not find support for a harvest condition bias in either juvenile or adult decoy‐harvested greater snow geese ( Anser caerulescens atlanticus ) relative to individuals captured in baited or un‐baited rocket nets.…”