Fast-Slow Life History Traits. This is an output from PanTHERIA for seven life history traits (female body mass, gestation length, interbirth interval, litter size, neonatal body mass, age at sexual maturity and weaning age) for 268 species used in an analysis of the fast-slow life-history continuum in mammals.

Files: Fast Slow Data Files , Fast Slow Data Files

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Reference: In review. Bielby J.N., G.M. Mace, O.R.P. Bininda-Emonds, M. Cardillo, J.L. Gittleman, K.E. Jones, D. Orme and A. Purvis,. The fast-slow continuum in mammalian life history: an empirical re-evaluation. American Naturalist.

Abstract: Many life-history traits covary across species, even when body size differences are controlled for. This phenomenon has led to the concept of a 'fast-slow continuum', which has been influential in both empirical and theoretical studies of life history evolution. We present a comparative analysis of mammalian life histories showing that, for mammals at least, there is not a single fast-slow continuum. Rather, both across and within mammalian clades, the speed of life varies along at least two largely independent axes, when body size effects are removed. One axis reflects species' investment in offspring biomass, while the other describes the timing of reproductive bouts.