Ontogenetic Asymmetry in Ecology - Origins and Implications for Population Dynamics

Explore the groundbreaking research on ontogenetic asymmetry in ecology presented in this 51-minute seminar by André De Roos at the Santa Fe Institute. Delve into how the combination of demographic differences between juvenile and adult individuals and somatic maintenance costs can overturn established ecological theories. Examine the implications for population and community dynamics, including counterintuitive outcomes in competitive scenarios. Learn about structured population modeling, matrix models, and evolutionary approaches that account for growth in body size. Investigate the impact of development, juvenile mortality, and consumer-resource interactions on ecological systems. Discover how maintenance costs and cannibalism affect population dynamics. Analyze examples and simulations that challenge traditional ecological rules-of-thumb, particularly in the context of shared predators and competitive relationships between species.