Life History Evolution Flashcards
life history
an individuals patterns of allocation. throughout life, of time & energy to various fundamental activities such as growth, body repair, metabolism, & reproduction
lifetime reproductive success
the number of offspring produced by an individual in their lifetime
trade offs
inescapable compromises between traits that limit their evolution
life history examples
- some species mature early & reproduce quickly, others mature late & reproduce slowly
- fundamental trade-off between offspring size & number
life history examples: some species mature early & reproduce quickly, others mature late & reproduce slowly
- female deer mice mature at ~7 weeks & have 3-4 litters of pups each year
- female bear mature at 4-5 years & have pups every 2 years
- some trout reproduce multiple times, but salmon reproduce once & die
life history examples: fundamental trade-off between offspring size & number
- the oyster releases 10-50 million eggs in a single sperm, each very tiny
- the clam broods <100 eggs, each very large
life history in blue footed boobies
- in males, feet range from dull blue to bright green
- females prefer bright green feet
- maintaining bright feet gets harder as the birds age
- males that take a year off from reproduction have brighter feet
the ideal organism
- mature at birth
- continuously producing a large amount or large offspring
- live forever
Brown Kiwi
- females weight ~6 lb
- 1 lb egg
- only 1 egg is laid at a time
- high quality
Sea Urchins
- females take a few years to get to a reproductive age
- lay 100,000-200,000 eggs at one time
- all very tiny with very small chance of success
Thrip egg mites
- mites that eats the eggs of a small plant eating insect called a thrip
- females mate with their brother in womb, then eat their way out of mom
- born mature, live 4 days
energy allocation in the Virginia Opossum trade offs
- a different female that begins reproducing sooner will be smaller & have smaller litters, but may be likely to actually reproduce
- a female that allocates more to tissue repair will have less to give to reproduction, but may live longer
energy allocation in sand crickets
- short winged females devote more of their energy to reproduction & will produce sooner, but can’t disperse well
- long winged females devoted more energy to flight muscles, but reproduce later in life
senescence ________ an individuals fitness
reduces
senescence
a decline with age in reproductive performance, physiological function, or probability of survival
longevity evolves: 2007
Eskimo hunters killed a bowhead whale & found in its flesh a kind of harpoon that was used only around 1890
longevity evolves: 1999
growth patterns in the teeth of a bowhead whale suggests that it is 211 years old
The Evolutionary Theory of Aging
- mutation accumulation hypothesis
- 97% of all offspring in the population are produced by individuals ages 13 or less
- selection on late acting mutations is weak
- an individual with a mutation that kills them at age 2 has 0 fitness
- selection on early acting mutations is strong
mutation accumulation hypothesis
mutations that impact fitness late in life are under weak selection