Individuals and populations: the role of long-term, individual-based studies of animals in ecology and evolutionary biology
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
2010 |
Authors: |
Tim Clutton-Brock, Ben C. Sheldon |
Publication/Journal: |
Trends in Ecology & Evolution |
Keywords: |
age structure, ecology, evolution, fitness, individual based, life history, social-structure |
ISBN: |
01695347 |
Abstract:
Many important questions in ecology and evolutionary biology can only be answered with data that extend over several decades and answering a substantial proportion of questions requires records of the life histories of recognisable individuals. We identify six advantages that long-term, individual based studies afford in ecology and evolution: (i) analysis of age structure; (ii) linkage between life history stages; (iii) quantification of social structure; (iv) derivation of lifetime fitness measures; (v) replication of estimates of selection; (vi) linkage between generations, and we review their impact on studies in six key areas of evolution and ecology. Our review emphasises the unusual opportunities and productivity of long-term, individual-based studies and documents the important role that they play in research on ecology and evolutionary biology as well as the difficulties they face.