BIOB50H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Fledge, Ruderal Species
16 Jan 2012
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Document Summary
Life history: a record of events and landmarks relating to its growth, development, and reproduction, and survival y y characteristics that define the life history of a organism: Life history patterns vary within and among species y y study of life histories is concerned w/ categorizing variation in life history traits and analyzing the causes of that variation. Life history strategy of a species is the overall pattern in the timing and nature of life history events averaged across all the individuals in the species. It is shaped by the way the organism divides its time and energy b/w growth, reproduction, and survival y genetically influenced traits often can be recognized as those that are more similar within families than b/w them. Some describe life histories as optimal- that is resulting in a maximization of fitness. Life history strategies are not necessarily perfectly adapted to maximize fitness, particularly when environmental conditions change.
