Lecture 3: Life History Theory Flashcards
Life history theory
- Examines how natural selection produces adaptations yielding age related and context-dependent trade offs between allocation of available resources to maintain, grow, and reproduce through energy
- Aims to predict and explain life history
Key characteristics of life history
- Maintenance
- Reproduction
- Growth and development
How do human life histories differ from chimpanzees and other primates?
Humans:
- Multiple offspring
- Long lifespans
- Delayed reproduction
- Large brain with cognitive features
Chimps/other primates:
- Single offspring
- Extended ontogeny (prolonged life histories)
- Human Adaptive Complex traits
- Humans have an extended period of juvenile dependence
- Support of reproduction by males and older post-reproductive individuals
What are some of the key demands into which organisms must allocate available energy?
- Adult Basal Metabolic Rate
- Activity
- Growth
- Reproduction
- Active Immune Function
- Trade-offs between reproduction and survival
Life history theory examines:
a. The allocation of resources to competing demands
b. The timing of life events
c. How and why species differ
d. How and why individuals differ
e. All of the above
e. All of the above
Lack Hypothesis
- Quantity and quality trade-offs: can’t have it all
- Example: bird eggs in various species
What is not a co-evolved feature of the human adaptive complex?
a. High quality foods
b. Large brain
c. Bipedal walking
d. Long period of juvenile learning
e. Alloparenting
c. Bipedal walking
How are hormones related to life history allocations?
- Hormones can be thought of as the messengers or mechanisms through which organisms alter life history allocation
- Hormones determine these life history events i.e when they will happen, length, intensity, etc.
Hormones can be seen as:
a. Indicators of life histories
b. Moderators of life histories
c. Both
c. Both
