Data from: Evolution of complex asexual reproductive strategies in jellyfish

Many living organisms in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems rely on
multiple reproductive strategies to reduce the risks of extinction in
variable environments. Examples are provided by the polyp stage of several
bloom-forming jellyfish species, which can reproduce asexually using
different "budding" strategies. These strategies broadly fall
into three categories: 1) fast localized reproduction, 2) dormant cysts,
or 3) motile and dispersing buds. Similar functional strategies are also
present in other groups of species. However, mechanisms leading to the
evolution of this rich reproductive diversity are yet to be clarified.
Here we propose an evolutionary model for jellyfish polyps and determine
how local population extinction and unequal fitness of the three modes can
drive the evolution of multiple reproductive strategies. Depending on
environmental parameters, we find that evolution leads to a unique
evolutionary stable strategy, where in general multiple reproductive modes
coexist. As the extinction risk increases, this strategy shifts from a
pure budding mode to a dual strategy, and finally to one characterized by
allocation into all three modes. We determine the existence of relative
fitness-dependent thresholds in extinction risk where these transitions
can occur and discuss our predictions in light of observations on polyp
reproduction in laboratory and natural systems.