Life Histories

Question 1

What makes up life history?

Answer 1

the schedule of an organism’s growth, development, time to reproduction, lifespan, etc. (technical term of life cycle)

Question 2

Live fast, die young pace of life traits.

Answer 2

-greater # of offspring
-shorter life span
-faster growth
-earlier reproduction
-earlier sexual maturation
-smaller parental investment

Question 3

Live slow, die old pace of life traits.

Answer 3

-fewer offspring
-longer life span
-slower growth
-delayed reproduction
-later sexual maturation
-greater parental investment

Question 4

Growth rate:

Answer 4

how fast an organism gains mass, size, reaches new stages of development

Question 5

Sexual maturation:

Answer 5

the developmental stage when organism becomes capable of reproducing

Question 6

Longevity:

Answer 6

typical lifespan of an organism, also called the life expectancy and sometimes used only for individuals who reach maturity

Question 7

Parity:

Answer 7

of times an organism reproduces in its lifespan

Question 8

Fecundity:

Answer 8

of offspring produced. lifetime fecundity is cumulative across lifespan.

Question 9

Parental investment:

Answer 9

the amount of resources invested in each offspring by one or both parents

Question 10

What are life history trade-offs?

Answer 10

when resources are devoted to one body structure, physiological function, or behavior, they cannot be allotted to another thus creating trade-offs

Question 11

Example of a life history trade off?

Answer 11

you have one baby its 10 lbs, you have two babies they’re each 6 lbs, you have three babies they’re each 4 lbs

Question 12

Physical and energetic limitations create a trade off between _____

Answer 12

the # and size of offspring in a single reproduction event (baby example)

Question 13

Semelparous species

Answer 13

breed ONCE in their lifetime

Question 14

Iteroparous species

Answer 14

breed MORE THAN ONCE in their lifetime

Question 15

Semelparous organisms only reproduce once per lifetime. Which of the following statements is true about semelparous organisms?

A) Semelparous organisms have lower fitness than iteroparous organisms.
B) Semelparous organisms have larger body sizes than iteroparous organisms.
C) Semelparous organisms are more likely to be r-selected than K-selected because they die after one reproductive cycle.
D) Semelparous organisms are more likely to be K-selected than r-selected because they take a very long time to reach maturity.

Answer 15

C) Semelparous organisms are more likely to be r-selected than K-selected because they die after one reproductive cycle.

Question 16

What do energetic limitations create trade-offs between?

Answer 16

parental care and survival

Question 17

Example of energetic limitations creating trade-offs between parental care and survival.

Answer 17

Kestrels with eggs added to their nests fledged more chicks, but the increased parental care associated with extra eggs caused parents to suffer reduced survival.