Supporting the study of the intraspecific variation of life-history strategies of tropical mammals

Abstract

SEVERAL THEORETICAL SCHEMES HAVE ATTEMPED TO EXPLAIN PATTERNS OF LIFE-HISTORY VARIATION IN MAMMALS. HOWEVER, SOMES CASES ARE NOT SATISFACTORILY EXPLAINED AND IT IS UNKNOWN TO WHAT EXTENT OBSERVED LIFE-HISTORY VARIATION IN THE RESULT OF BOTH EVOLUTIONARY AND NONEVOLUTIONARY SOURCES. THIS MANUSCRIP PROPOSES EVALUATING THE NATURE OF THE LOCAL VARIANCE COMPONENT OF LIFE-HISTORY TRAITS. SPECIAL EMPHASIS WILL BE GIVEN TO TROPICAL MAMMALS. ATTENTION IS FOCUSED TO COMPARING AND CONTRASTING POPULATIONS OF THE SAME SPECIES UNDER DIFFERENT ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS. EXAMINING SIGNIFICANT VARIABLES WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL PRESSURES IN THE VARIATION OF LIFE-HISTORY PATTERNS OF TROPICAL MAMMALS.