Author: Maginnis, Tara Lynne

Source: Behavioral Ecology, Volume 17, Number 5, September 2006 , pp. 857-872(16)

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Abstract:

Many organisms have the ability to shed an appendage (autotomy) to escape a predator or fouled molting event. Despite its immediate advantage on survivorship, autotomy can have important consequences for locomotion, foraging, survivorship, and/or reproduction. Thus, regeneration is a way that animals alleviate some of the costs associated with losing an appendage. Like autotomy, however, appendage regeneration can have important consequences for a variety of aspects of fitness; in a wide range of amphibians, reptiles, fishes, and arthropods, the allocation of resources to regenerate a lost appendage negatively affects somatic or reproductive growth. Previous research into the costs associated with regeneration has provided a strong framework to explore how trade-offs associated with regeneration may have influenced its evolution. However, all research to date describing the costs and benefits associated with autotomy and regeneration have compared individuals autotomizing and regenerating an appendage with individuals that have never lost an appendage. I suggest that for studies of the evolutionary significance of regeneration, an alternative comparison is between individuals experiencing autotomy without regeneration and individuals experiencing autotomy with regeneration. Future work in this direction promises new insights into the evolution of regenerative tendencies, as well as how regeneration may be influencing animal form and function.

Keywords: autotomy; costs; evolution; regeneration; trade-offs

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arl010

Publication date: 2006-09-01

More about this publication?

• Bringing together significant work on all aspects of the subject, Behavioral Ecology is broad-based and covers both empirical and theoretical approaches. Studies on the whole range of behaving organisms, including plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, and humans, are included.

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