The distribution and population dynamics of zooplankton are affected by the interplay between currents, behavior, and selective growth, mortality, and reproduction. Here, we present an individual based model for a copepod where life-history and behavioral traits are adapted using a genetic algorithm approach. The objectives were to investigate the importance of spatial and inter-annual variabil...

The evolution of distinctively human life history and social organization is generally attributed to paternal provisioning based on pair bonds. Here we develop an alternative argument that connects the evolution of human pair bonds to the male-biased mating sex ratios that accompanied the evolution of human life history. We simulate an agent-based model of the grandmother hypothesis, compare si...

B irth and death are subjects of perennial interest. They are shaped by both physiology and behavior, which are themselves shaped (presumably) by natural selection. Thus, it seems natural to suppose that evolutionary ideas would form the core of demography. This, however, is not the case. Students of birth and death are largely divided: social scientists call the subject demography, and evoluti...

Lizard life-history characteristics vary widely among species and populations. Most authors seek adaptive or phylogenetic explanations for life-history patterns, which are usually presumed to reflect genetic differences. However, lizard life histories are often phenotypically plastic, varying in response to temperature, food availability, and other environmental factors. Despite the importance ...

Biologists have long sought to identify and explain patterns in the diverse array of marine life histories. The most famous speculation about such patterns is Gunnar Thorson’s suggestion that species producing planktonic larvae are rarer at higher latitudes (Thorson’s rule). Although some elements of Thorson’s rule have proven incorrect, other elements remain untested.With a wealth of new life-...

Artificial neural network (ANN) methods have shown great promise in achieving more accurate equipment remaining useful life prediction. However, most reported ANN methods only utilize condition monitoring data from failure histories, and ignore data obtained from suspension histories in which equipments are taken out of service before they fail. Suspension history condition monitoring data cont...

This article explores the life histories of virtuoso classical music soloists with particular reference to conservatoire provision. Detailed life-history interviews were conducted six virtuosi between May 2018 and January 2019. These participants three singers, two cellists a concert pianist. Resultant qualitative data stored in an NVivo software database understood through process analytic ind...

Demographic stochasticity is important in determining extinction risks of small populations, but it is largely unknown how its effect depends on the life histories of species. We modeled effects of demographic stochasticity on extinction risk in a broad range of generalized life histories, using matrix models and branching processes. Extinction risks of life histories varied greatly in their se...