25.

0
25.0

Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens
(Swedes
in 1881)
Homoborn
sapiens
(Swedish women
born in 1881)

(Japanese
in 2009)
Homo sapiens
(Japanese women
in 2009)

22.5
22.5

Legend
Mortality
Fertility

20.0
20.0

Humans

Trees

Other mammals

Other plants

Other vertebrates

Algae

Survivorship

Invertebrates

17.5
17.5

Leucopsar rothschildi
(Bali mynah)
Leucopsar
rothschildi

Fulmarus glacialoides
(Southern
fulmar)
Fulmarus
glacialoides

Homo sapiens
(Hunter
Homo gatherers)
sapiens
(hunter gatherers)

Poecilia reticulata
(Guppy)
Poecilia
reticulata

(Bali mynah)

15.0

(guppy)

(southern fulmar)

15.0

12.5
12.5

10.0
10.0

7.5
7.5

5.0

5.0

2.5

0.1

2.5

0.1

0.0

5.0
5.0

0.01

15

years

102

13

years

89

years

18

months

38

12

years

81

years

33

15

years

102

13

years

89

years

18

months

38

12

years

81

years

33

2.5

Orcinus orca
(killer whale)
Orcinus orca
(Killer whale)

Daphnia longispina
(waterlongispina
flea)
Daphnia
(Water flea)

Panthera leo
(lion)
Panthera leo
(Lion)

Papio cynocephalus
(yellow
baboon)
Papio
cynocephalus

Macrotrachela sp.
(bdelloid rotifer)
Macrotrachela
sp.

(Roe deer)

(Bdelloid rotifer)

(Yellow baboon)

Capreolus capreolus
(roe deer)
Capreolus
capreolus

Standardised mortality and fertility

0.0
5.0
5.0

11

years

59

days

48

years

17

years

24

11

Cervus elaphus
(red deer)
Cervus
elaphus

years

59

Caenorhabditis elegans
(nematode worm)
Caenorhabditis
elegans

days

48

years

17

Pan troglodytes
(chimpanzee)
Pan
troglodytes

years

24

(Nematode worm)

(Red deer)

Pediculus humanus
(human louse)
Pediculus humanus
(Human louse)

days

64

years

13

days

64

Rupicapra rupicapra
(chamois)
Rupicapra
rupicapra

years

13

Drosophila melanogaster
(fruit
fly)
Drosophila
melanogaster
(Fruit fly)

(Chimpanzee)

(Chamois)

5.0

3
3

years

17

days

25

days

34

years

49

years

17

days

25

Apus melba
(alpine
swift)
Apus melba

days

34

Cygnus olor
(mute
swan)
Cygnus
olor

years

49

Ovis aries
(Soay sheep)
Ovis aries
(Soay sheep)

Ceratitis capitata
(mediterranean
fruit fly)
Ceratitis capitata
(Mediterranean fruit fly)

(Mute swan)

(Alpine swift)

days

52

years

days

52

years

Microtus oeconomus
(tundra vole)
Microtus oeconomus
(Tundra vole)

Hypericum cumulicola
(hypericum)
Hypericum
cumulicola
(Hypericum)

5.0

years

12

days

63

years

16

years

16

months

11

years

years

12

days

63

years

16

years

16

months

11

years

Pinus sylvestris
(scots
pine)
Pinus
sylvestris
(Scots pine)

Crocodylus johnsoni
(freshwater
Crocodyluscrocodile)
johnsoni
(Freshwater crocodile)

Marmota flaviventris
(yellow-bellied marmot)
Marmota flaviventris
(Yellow! bellied marmot)

Accipiter nisus
(sparrowhawk)
Accipiter nisus
(Sparrowhawk)

Cryptantha flava
(yellow
cryptantha)
Cryptantha
flava
(Yellow cryptantha)

Agave marmorata
(agave)
Agave
marmorata
(Agave)

5.0

years

30

12

years

40

years

11

years

years

11

years

26

years

30

12

years

40

years

11

years

years

11

years

26

Geonoma orbignyana
(geonoma
palm)
Geonoma
orbignyana
(Geonoma palm)

Lacerta vivipara
(common
lizard)
Lacerta vivipara
(Common lizard)

Ulex minor
(dwarf gorse)
Ulex minor
(Dwarf gorse)

Borderea pyrenaica
(borderea)
Borderea
pyrenaica
(Borderea)

Ficedula albicollis
(collared flycatcher)
Ficedula albicollis
(Collared flycatcher)

5.0

5.0

34

years

123

years

years

39

years

27

years

years

14

34

years

123

years

years

39

years

27

years

years

14

Parus major
(greatmajor
tit)
Parus

Hydra magnipapillata
(hydra)
Hydra magnipapillata
(Hydra)

(Great tit)

Pagurus longicarpus
(hermit
crab)
Pagurus
longicarpus

Atriplex acanthocarpa
(armed
saltbush)
Atriplex
acanthocarpa
(Armed saltbush)

(Hermit crab)

Haliotis rufescens
(red abalone)
Haliotis rufescens
(Red abalone)

Rana aurora
(red-legged frog)
Rana aurora
(Red! legged frog)

0.01
1

0.01
0.01
1
1

0.1

0
0

years

years

Paramuricea clavata
(red gorgonian)
Paramuricea clavata
(Red gorgonian)

centuries

14

years

years

years

17

centuries

14

Laminaria digitata
(oarweed)
Laminaria
digitata

years

Quercus rugosa
(netleafrugosa
oak)
Quercus

years

Gopherus agassizii
(desert tortoise)
Gopherus
agassizii

years

17

Viburnum furcatum
(viburnum)
Viburnum furcatum
(Viburnum)

(Netleaf oak)

(Oarweed)

(Desert tortoise)

years

11

years

11

Avicennia marina
(white mangrove)
Avicennia marina
(White mangrove)

0.01
0.01
1
1

0.1

2.5

0.0

0.01

0.1

2.5

0.0

0.1

2.5

0.0
5.0

0.01
1

0.1

2.5

0.0

0.01

Rhododendron maximum
1
(great rhododendron)
Rhododendron maximum
(Great rhododendron)

2.5

0.0
5.0

0.1

2.5

0.0

0.01
1

0.1

2.5

0.0
5.0

0.01

0.1

2.5

0.0

0.1

2.5

0.0
5.0

0.01
1

0.1

2.5

0.0

0.01

0.1

2.5

0.0
5.0

0.1

2.5

0.0

0.1

2.5

0.0

0.01

Survivorship

0.0

0.1

years

44

14

years

66

years

years

44

14

years

66

years

27

Age27

years

177

12

years

64

years

123

years

177

12

years

64

years

123

Owen Jones (MaxO), Alexander Scheuerlein (MPIDR) et al. and Nature 2013

0.01
0.01

This mosaic of graphs is part of the press release Aging out of bounds issued by the Max
Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) in Rostock, Germany, and the Max-Planck
Odense Center on the Biodemography of Aging (MaxO) in Odense, Denmark.

Explanation of demographic curves and values

The mosaic contains 48 graphs for 46 different species. The background color indicates which
group (taxonomic category) the organism belongs to (see legend for color codes).
All curves depict how demographic values (mortality, fertility and survivorship) change over age,
which is shown on the X-axis.

X-Axes: Age
X-axes start at the left with the species age of maturity and end at a terminal age when 95
percent of adults have already died. The range of X- labels varies from days to centuries.

Demographic curves:
1. Mortality (red curves, Y-axes on the left)
Mortality (death rate) is the risk of dying at a given age. It is often viewed as the probability of
dying before reaching the next birthday.
For the plot mortality is standardized. The original age-specific values for every species have
been divided by the lifetime average (average mortality for all adults alive from maturity to the
terminal age). Thus, it is not possible to see the absolute probability of mortality for a given age.
But one can see the level of mortality at that age compared to the lifetime average. The average
is marked by the dashed gray line.
Example for Japanese women: When modern Japanese women are 40 years old, their probability
of dying is still below one tenth of their lifetime average. When they are 90 the risk has grown to
the tenfold of the average.

2. Fertility (blue curves, Y-axes on the left):

Fertility indicates how much a species reproduces at a given age. For humans fertility is
expressed by the birth rate, the average number of children per woman. For other organisms the
number of offspring or eggs per individual were counted.
Fertility curves are standardized. The original age-specific values for a given species were
divided by lifetime average fertility (average of fertility for all adults alive from maturity to the
terminal age). Thus, it is not possible to see the absolute level of fertility at a given age. But one
can see the level of fertility at that age compared to the lifetime average. This average is marked
by the dashed gray line.
Example for Japanese women: When modern Japanese women are about 30 years old their birth
rate is largest and approximately the fivefold of the lifetime average. Women older than 50 dont
give birth anymore and fertility is zero.

3. Survivorship (gray curves, Y-axes on the right, logarithmic):

Survivorship gives the proportion of the whole population of one species that is still alive at a
given age in relation to the number of individuals alive at maturity. The Y-axis for the survival rate
(on the right) is compressed (logarithmic): The 10% mark lies at about the middle of the axis.
Example for modern Japanese women: Up to age 50 almost all Japanese women are still alive.
At 99 approximately ten percent are still alive.

Note on species:
Among the 46 species in the mosaic are 11 mammals (including humans), 12 other vertebrates,
10 invertebrates, 12 plants, and one alga.
There are three graphs with humans:

Japanese women in the year 2009 (Japan continues to be the country with highest life
expectancy in the world)

Swedish women born in 1881

Hunter gatherers: These data have been collected in this day and age from the Ach
people in the Paraguayan rainforest. The tribe still lives similarly to how our hunter
gatherer ancestors did. Its demographic curves may be typical of humans over most of
their existence.

The press release to which this mosaic of graphs belongs can be found online at
www.demogr.mpg.de/go/tree-of-life

Original Paper:
Owen R. Jones, Alexander Scheuerlein, Roberto Salguero-Gmez, Carlo Giovanni Camarda, Ralf
Schaible, Brenda B. Casper, Johan P. Dahlgren, Johan Ehrln, Mara B. Garca, Eric Menges,
Pedro F. Quintana-Ascencio, Hal Caswell, Annette Baudisch, James W. Vaupel: Diversity of
ageing across the tree of life, Nature 2013, DOI: 10.1038/nature12789
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12789