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Download (3398Kb) - ePrints Soton - University of Southampton

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Nearly all models <strong>of</strong> marine invertebrate reproductive patterns are characterized by<br />

having concave regions on the fitness curve, with the two major modes <strong>of</strong> planktonic<br />

larval development, planktotrophy and lecithotrophy always lying on opposite sides<br />

<strong>of</strong> the adaptive valley (McEdward and Miner, 2003). From this result, evolution<br />

between planktotrophy and lecithotrophy via natural selection would be predicted to<br />

be difficult or impossible, nevertheless phylogenetic analyses indicate that<br />

evolutionary transitions between these modes have occurred in a number <strong>of</strong> occasions<br />

(Wray, 1995; Rouse, 2000; McEdward and Miner, 2001).<br />

McEdward and Miner (2003) examined the effect <strong>of</strong> fluctuating food<br />

availability on the duration <strong>of</strong> the planktonic larval period and the number <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>fspring<br />

that survive to metamorphosis in marine invertebrates with planktotrophic<br />

development, using fecundity-time models <strong>of</strong> reproductive strategies. The results<br />

showed that when food was abundant, smaller eggs were favoured and fluctuations in<br />

planktonic food concentrations affected small-egg strategies more strongly than largeegg<br />

strategies, though the variation in fitness was small in relation to fitness<br />

differences across egg sizes. Conversely, when food was strongly limited, larger eggs<br />

were favoured and fluctuations in planktonic food supply led to variations in fitness<br />

that were essentially related to fitness differences inherent in the strategies.<br />

McEdward and Miner (2003) concluded that when the extent <strong>of</strong><br />

environmentally-caused variations in reproductive success exceeds the differences in<br />

fitness among reproductive strategies, the adaptive landscape might be flattened, the<br />

intensity <strong>of</strong> disruptive or directional selection could be reduced and this should<br />

facilitate evolutionary transitions between planktotrophy and lecithotrophy or vice<br />

versa.<br />

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