SREL Reprint #2549

Resource allocation-based life histories: A conceptual basis for studies of ecological toxicology

Justin D. Congdon1, Arthur E. Dunham2, William A. Hopkins1,3, Christopher L. Rowe4,
and Thomas G. Hinton1

1University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, PO Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802, USA
2University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
3University of South Carolina, Department of Biology, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA
4University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory,
PO Box 38, Solomons, Maryland 20688, USA

Abstract: Whereas ecological assessments of contaminants are concerned with populations and higher levels of organization, most mechanistic work in toxicology is directed at effects on individuals and their parts. We propose that studies based on individuals can be useful in ecological analysis of polluted systems when based on the concepts of resource allocation-based life history analysis. At the heart of the resource allocation approach is the concept of operative environments of individuals (i.e., environmental factors influencing birth, death, or migration). Contaminants can have strong influences on operative environments, modifying resource allocation strategies that reflect changes in energy assimilation and demands. By examining contaminant-induced responses of individuals from the perspective of changing operative environments, individual-based changes and population dynamics can be addressed in an ecologically rigorous manner.

Keywords: Resource allocation, Life history, Energy budget, Metabolism

SREL Reprint #2549

Congdon, J. D., A. E. Dunham, W. A. Hopkins, C. L. Rowe, and T. G. Hinton. 2001. Resource allocation-based life histories: A conceptual basis for studies of ecological toxicology. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 20:1698-1703.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).