The Dynamics of a Quantitative Trait in an Age-Structured Population Living in a Variable Environment

摘要: Abstract: Time series of rapid phenotypic change have been documented in age‐structured populations living the wild. Researchers are often interested identifying processes responsible for such change. We derive an equation to exactly decompose mean value a trait into contributions from fluctuations demographic structure and age‐specific viability selection, fertility plasticity, differences between offspring parental values. treat fitness as sum its components rather than scalar explicitly consider age by focusing on short time steps, which appropriate describing species with overlapping generations. apply method examine stasis birth weight well‐characterized population red deer. Stasis is achieved because positive selection increase countered parents producing that are, average, smaller they w...