TY - JOUR T1 - Comparing life histories using phylogenies JF - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B Y1 - 1991 A1 - Harvey,P. H. A1 - Keymer,A. E. SP - 31 EP - 39 KW - bird KW - body KW - coevolution KW - complex KW - food habits KW - Geomyidae KW - Mallophaga KW - mammal KW - reproduction KW - rodentia KW - size KW - thomomys KW - trichodectidae AB - The comparative method as recently developed can be used to identify statistically independent instances of life-history evolution. When life-history traits show evidence for correlated evolutionary change with each other or with ecological differences, it is often possible to single out the trade-offs and selective forces responsible for the evolution of life-history diversity. Suites of life-history characters often evolve in concert, and recent optimality models incorporating few variables show promise for interpreting that evolution in terms of few selective forces. Because hosts provide well-defined environments for their parasites, when host-parasite phylogenies are congruent it is possible to test ideas about the evolution of particular life-history and size-related traits. VL - 332 IS - 1262 ER -