What are the various life history traits that ecologistsevol

What are the various life history traits that ecologists/evolutionary biologists study? How are they important to the success of organisms? 100 words or more please

Solution

Answer:

Life history traits that ecologists/evolutionary biologists study covers three main traits:

1. Number and size of offsprings

2. Age and size at maturity

3. Life span and reproductive investment

Among these, one of the trade offs is number of offsprings and their related parental care, i.e, the amount of energy put into parental care towards the offsprings.

The next trade off is the timing of first reproduction. Every time the organism reproduces, it decreases the chances that the organism will die without offspring (early reproduction). Later reproduction may involve production of more healthier offspring and better parental care.

Members of some species reproduces once while others may reproduce multiple times.

Importance:ng

Evolution of life history traits in organisms is due to natural selection and involves the optimization of trade offs between growth, reproduction and and survival. These traits, thus enhances fitness, persistence and reproductive success in organisms.