BIO205H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Semelparity And Iteroparity, Senescence, Photoperiodism
Document Summary
Life history: the schedule of an organism"s growth, development, reproduction, and survival. Fecundity: the number of offspring produced by an organism per reproductive episode. Parity: the number of reproductive episodes an organism experiences. Parental investment: the amount of time and energy given to an offspring by its parents. The schedule of an organism"s life begins as an embryo. It either hatches or is born at a particular size and time. During the subsequent juvenile stage the organism grows and eventually becomes a sexually mature adult. To reach this stage, many species must first pass through metamorphosis. Adults can then reproduce in one or more breeding events with a particular level of fecundity, parental investment, and longevity. At all stages, species experience a characteristic amount of growth and some probability of surviving to the next stage. Continuum: first, life history traits often vary consistently with respect to life form, habitat, or conditions in the environment.
