ABSTRACT
A model of clonal inheritance and density-independent population growth is used to study the effect of heritable wealth on reproductive strategies. It accounts for effects of reproductive decisions on distant generations, but sidesteps our ignorance about utility by asking which reproductive decisions are favored in the long run by natural selection. The optimal reproductive strategy is the one that maximizes the long-term rate of growth in the numbers of one's descendants. The optimal strategy in poor environment is to maximize the wealth inherited by each offspring, which requires minimizing their numbers. The growth trajectory of a single clone can be described using a formalism closely related to the "Leslie Matrix" of demography. It is only in rich environments that a strong positive relationship is predicted between wealth and offspring production. There is no agreement yet about the kind of evolutionary theory that is appropriate for understanding human reproductive behavior.
