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On strategies of plant behaviour : Evolutionary games of habitat selection, defence, and foraging

Morris, Douglas W. ; Lundberg, Per LU and Brown, Joel S. (2016) In Evolutionary Ecology Research 17(5). p.619-636
Abstract

Background: Strategies of habitat selection, defence, and foraging depend critically on population density and the frequency of alternative strategies: they are evolutionary games. Although commonly modelled in studies of animal behaviour, they are less frequently used to provide insights into the behaviour of plants. A 'review' and analysis of how these universal strategies apply to plants should help motivate further development of plant evolutionary games. Questions: Should plants practise density-dependent habitat selection? Do games of plant defence depend on demography and habitat quality? How similar are games of competition for nutrients and light? Methods and models: Assessments of eco-evolutionary dynamics with computer... (More)

Background: Strategies of habitat selection, defence, and foraging depend critically on population density and the frequency of alternative strategies: they are evolutionary games. Although commonly modelled in studies of animal behaviour, they are less frequently used to provide insights into the behaviour of plants. A 'review' and analysis of how these universal strategies apply to plants should help motivate further development of plant evolutionary games. Questions: Should plants practise density-dependent habitat selection? Do games of plant defence depend on demography and habitat quality? How similar are games of competition for nutrients and light? Methods and models: Assessments of eco-evolutionary dynamics with computer simulations (habitat selection), evolutionary invasion analysis (defence), and G-functions (foraging). Results: Selection gradients for pre-emptive habitat selection are steeper than those for passive dispersal and yield an advantage that increases with population density. The evolutionarily stable defence level in a homogeneous environment is proportional to the ratio of survival by mature versus immature plants. In heterogeneous environments, investments in herbivore defence depend on habitat quality and are resolved by habitat selection. Games of competition for both nutrients and light predict Tragedies of the Commons in which size, density, and investment in tissue that does not directly contribute to fitness depend on the source of competition. Conclusion: Much of the dynamic feedback between the ecology of plants and their evolution can be understood with models of three universal processes: habitat selection, safety and defence against enemies, and foraging for nutrients and other resources. The specifics of models may differ among taxa, but not the underlying density and frequency dependence of their eco-evolutionary strategies.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Adaptive landscape, Defence, Evolutionarily stable strategies, Evolutionary game theory, Habitat selection, Height in trees, Nutrient foraging, Tragedy of the Commons
in
Evolutionary Ecology Research
volume
17
issue
5
pages
18 pages
publisher
Evolutionary Ecology Ltd
external identifiers
  • scopus:84989931458
ISSN
1522-0613
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ac637df8-51e7-471b-ae87-88fe51d17b47
date added to LUP
2016-11-23 11:18:51
date last changed
2022-03-01 17:22:03
@article{ac637df8-51e7-471b-ae87-88fe51d17b47,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Strategies of habitat selection, defence, and foraging depend critically on population density and the frequency of alternative strategies: they are evolutionary games. Although commonly modelled in studies of animal behaviour, they are less frequently used to provide insights into the behaviour of plants. A 'review' and analysis of how these universal strategies apply to plants should help motivate further development of plant evolutionary games. Questions: Should plants practise density-dependent habitat selection? Do games of plant defence depend on demography and habitat quality? How similar are games of competition for nutrients and light? Methods and models: Assessments of eco-evolutionary dynamics with computer simulations (habitat selection), evolutionary invasion analysis (defence), and G-functions (foraging). Results: Selection gradients for pre-emptive habitat selection are steeper than those for passive dispersal and yield an advantage that increases with population density. The evolutionarily stable defence level in a homogeneous environment is proportional to the ratio of survival by mature versus immature plants. In heterogeneous environments, investments in herbivore defence depend on habitat quality and are resolved by habitat selection. Games of competition for both nutrients and light predict Tragedies of the Commons in which size, density, and investment in tissue that does not directly contribute to fitness depend on the source of competition. Conclusion: Much of the dynamic feedback between the ecology of plants and their evolution can be understood with models of three universal processes: habitat selection, safety and defence against enemies, and foraging for nutrients and other resources. The specifics of models may differ among taxa, but not the underlying density and frequency dependence of their eco-evolutionary strategies.</p>}},
  author       = {{Morris, Douglas W. and Lundberg, Per and Brown, Joel S.}},
  issn         = {{1522-0613}},
  keywords     = {{Adaptive landscape; Defence; Evolutionarily stable strategies; Evolutionary game theory; Habitat selection; Height in trees; Nutrient foraging; Tragedy of the Commons}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{09}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{619--636}},
  publisher    = {{Evolutionary Ecology Ltd}},
  series       = {{Evolutionary Ecology Research}},
  title        = {{On strategies of plant behaviour : Evolutionary games of habitat selection, defence, and foraging}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}