Pinniped comparative survival data

Survival rates are a central component of life-history strategies of large vertebrate species. However, comparative studies seldom investigate interspecific variation in survival rates with respect to other life-history traits, especially for males. The lack of such studies could be due to the challenges associated with obtaining reliable datasets, incorporating information on the 0-1 probability scale, or dealing with several types of measurement error in life-history traits, which can be a computationally intensive process that is often absent in comparative studies. We present a quantitative approach using Bayesian phylogenetically controlled regression with the flexibility to incorporate uncertainty in estimated survival rates and quantitative life-history traits while considering genetic similarity among species and uncertainty in relatedness. As with any comparative analysis, our approach makes several assumptions regarding the generalizability and comparability of empirical d...