BIO 3303 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Mate Choice, Secondary Sex Characteristic, Phenotypic Plasticity
Document Summary
An individual"s life history represents the interaction between. Natural selection acts upon phenotypic variation among individuals in the population. Variation is seen in: age at maturity, allocation (energy) to reproduction, size of offspring produced, number of offspring produced, levee of independence at hatching or birth. This variation arises from: genotypic variation among individuals, interactions between genotype and environment. The characteristics related to life history can show phenotypic plasticity. The norm of reaction is the set of phenotypes expressed by a genotype under different environmental conditions. Mating systems describe the pariing of males and females. Life history traits of males are usually more strongly affected because of competition among males for mates. Other significant components of the reproductive allocation include: defending a territory, courtship behaviour, parental care. Monogamy- formation of aa pair bong between one male and one female. Monogamy is seen when both parents must cooperate to successfully raise their offspring.
