Resource distribution unifies optimal offspring size and bacterial aging.

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Autores principales: Sakal, Taom, Proulx, Stephen
Formato: Artículo científico
Lenguaje:en
Publicado: Evolution; international journal of organic evolution 2026
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author Sakal, Taom
Proulx, Stephen
author_facet Sakal, Taom
Proulx, Stephen
Sakal, Taom
Proulx, Stephen
collection PubMed - marine biology
contents Resource distribution unifies optimal offspring size and bacterial aging. Sakal, Taom Proulx, Stephen Bacteria Models, Biological Biological Evolution Models of optimal offspring size and bacterial aging share the same underlying mathematical problem: how should a parent optimally distribute limited resources among its offspring? Optimal offspring size theory has long explored the trade-off between offspring number and size in higher organisms. Meanwhile, the emerging field of bacterial aging examines whether and under what conditions cells evolve unequal sharing of old cellular components. Despite addressing similar problems, these models remain constrained by field-specific assumptions. We unify them in a generalized resource-distribution framework that yields insights and predictions unreachable by either field alone. Our central finding is that the convexity of the function relating resources to offspring survivorship determines whether equal or unequal distribution of resources is the optimal strategy. We show that these optimal strategies evolve, characterize their robustness to fluctuating environments, and uncover the conditions that select for producing a "runt of the litter."
format Artículo científico
id pubmed_41235790
institution PubMed
language en
publishDate 2026
publisher Evolution; international journal of organic evolution
record_format pubmed
spellingShingle Resource distribution unifies optimal offspring size and bacterial aging.
Sakal, Taom
Proulx, Stephen
Bacteria
Models, Biological
Biological Evolution
Resource distribution unifies optimal offspring size and bacterial aging. Sakal, Taom Proulx, Stephen Bacteria Models, Biological Biological Evolution Models of optimal offspring size and bacterial aging share the same underlying mathematical problem: how should a parent optimally distribute limited resources among its offspring? Optimal offspring size theory has long explored the trade-off between offspring number and size in higher organisms. Meanwhile, the emerging field of bacterial aging examines whether and under what conditions cells evolve unequal sharing of old cellular components. Despite addressing similar problems, these models remain constrained by field-specific assumptions. We unify them in a generalized resource-distribution framework that yields insights and predictions unreachable by either field alone. Our central finding is that the convexity of the function relating resources to offspring survivorship determines whether equal or unequal distribution of resources is the optimal strategy. We show that these optimal strategies evolve, characterize their robustness to fluctuating environments, and uncover the conditions that select for producing a "runt of the litter."
title Resource distribution unifies optimal offspring size and bacterial aging.
topic Bacteria
Models, Biological
Biological Evolution
url https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41235790/