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Figure 2 | BMC Ecology

Figure 2

From: Adaptive dynamic resource allocation in annual eusocial insects: environmental variation will not necessarily promote graded control

Figure 2

Uniformly distributed season length and corresponding strategy response. The upper row shows the frequency distribution of season length for three cases with increasing variance (a: width B = 5, b: B = 10, and c: B = 15, mean μ always = 50). The lower row shows the corresponding optimal strategy transitions: the fraction of sexuals produced by the colony as a function of time (d, e, and f, worker productivity rate c = 0.15, survival rate q = 0.95). A small arrow indicates the temporal position of the optimal switching point in the case of a deterministic environment (SWT det ). Vertical grey lines indicate the boundaries of the distribution of season length. Figures d and e demonstrate that the optimal response of the system to increasing variation in season length is initially realised by an earlier switching from worker to sexual production. Graded strategies only emerge if environmental variation reaches a certain level and earlier switching alone would not be sufficient to buffer environmental fluctuations (c and f).

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BMC Ecology

ISSN: 1472-6785

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