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The Offspring-Size/Clutch-Size Trade-Off In Mammals., Eric Charnov, S.K.M. Ernest
The Offspring-Size/Clutch-Size Trade-Off In Mammals., Eric Charnov, S.K.M. Ernest
Biology Faculty & Staff Publications
The Smith-Fretwell model for optimal offspring size assumes the existence of an inverse proportional relationship (i.e., trade-off) between the number of offspring and the amount of resources invested in an individual offspring; virtually all of the many models derived from theirs make the same trade-off assumption. Over the last 30 years it has become apparent that the predicted proportionality is often not observed when evaluated across species. We develop a general allometric approach to correct for size-related differences in the resources available for reproduction. Using data on mammals, we demonstrate that the predicted inverse proportional relationship between number of offspring …