Abstract Background For ecological studies, it is crucial to count on adequate descriptions of the environments and samples being studied.Such a description must be done in terms of their physicochemical characteristics, allowing a direct comparison between different environments that would be difficult to do otherwise.Also the characterization mus

Abstract All organisms face a certain risk of dying before reproducing, putting strong pressure on individuals to reproduce as early as possible.Despite this, some organisms delay maturity, defer reproduction, and age slowly.The evolution of such slow-paced life is classically attributed to allometric effects and reduced extrinsic mortality, but La