Finding
inbreeding, assortative mating), environmental perturbation and frequency dependence.
Paper
Population growth rate and the measurement of fitness: a critical reflection
Abstract
One of the most commonly proposed measures of fitness is population growth rate (A) or its logarithm (r). There are two different senses of I which, though equivalent at the population level, are not equivalent at the genotypic level. One sense is the geometric rate of increase in numbers (u); the other is explicitly related to age-specific survival and fecundity by the Lotka equation (4). While Z provides a measure of evolution (for whatever reason), it does not inform us regarding differences in fitness. A, on the other hand provides a measure of fitness, but in applying it to the real world we should not ignore important complications and constraints arising from the genetic structure and mating system (e.g. inbreeding, assortative mating), environmental perturbation and frequency dependence.
Authors
N. Nur
Journal
Oikos