No direct selection to increase offspring number of bet-hedging strategies in large populations: Simons' model revisited.
In mixed or 'bet-hedging' strategies, offspring phenotypes are taken randomly from a distribution determined by the genotype and shaped by evolution. Offspring of a single parent represent a finite sample from this distribution, and therefore are subject to variability because of sampling. Contrary to a recent article by A.M. Simons (2007; J. Evol. Biol.20: 813-817), I show that selection does not favour the production of many offspring just to reduce sampling variability when such mixed strategies are used in large populations.
Kisdi
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Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. eva.kisdi@helsinki.fi
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D005838:Genotype; D008954:Models, Biological; D010641:Phenotype; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D013269:Stochastic Processes