Life history optimization and the macroevolution of mammal body size (opens in new tab)

Although body size is linked to nearly every aspect of an organism’s biology, its evolution remains poorly understood. Here, an analytical life history model of optimal size is tested for the first time using unprecedented data on mammal life history and phylogeny and shown to explain several well-defined macroevolutionary patterns. The evolution of body size is explained in large part by life history optimization with respect to adult mortality under metabolic constraints on productivity. Th...