Why Are Trade Offs Among Life History Traits So Commonly Observed?

D: The bigger a species is, the longer the life expectancy it has. Bigger animals are most likely to survive because their body is always reproducing new cells. One theory suggests that size matters in the food chain, such as smaller rodents clearly don’t have a longer life expectancy because they will most likely be food.

Feldman, R. S. (2014). Development across the life span (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:

According to Darwin and his theory on evolution, organisms are presented with nature’s challenge of environmental change. Those that possess the characteristics of adapting to such challenges are successful in leaving their genes behind and ensuring that their lineage will continue. It is natural selection, where nature can perform tiny to mass sporadic experiments on its organisms, and the results can be interesting from extinction to significant changes within a species.

Natural selection is the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. One saline solution yielded the highest hatching viability because only one of the solutions was suitable for the brine shrimps and they were able to adapt to that place. The other

When a species gives rise to a new species the small group breaks away and becomes geographically/reproductively isolated from its ancestral group. As long as it remains small and detached, the founder group can experience fairly rapid genetic changes.

One reason may be that because smaller organisms have a tougher time surviving than larger ones, smaller ones produce more offspring to guarantee the survival of their genes through generations.

nourishment and food the species cannot reproduce and expand their species further. Reproduction is vital

desireable trait. When a creature has a trait that allows them to survive and thrive in

fitness does well in its habitat and passes those favorable alleles onto its offspring when it reproduces.

Some of the adaptations may include claws, behaviors, and the ability to camouflage (Biology 460). Darwin realized there was a connection with the way an organism survives and their environment. Different adaptations affect an organism 's fitness and the type of environment (Biology 460). “The difference in rates of survival and reproduction is called survival of the fittest” (Biology 460). Organisms with characteristics that are suited for the environment have the ability to survive and reproduce. However, organisms that have characteristics that are not suited for the environment have a low survival rate and have a limited number of offspring (Biology 460). Natural selection relates to the lab because only certain colored bead bugs were able to survive. The bead bugs that had an adaptation of color were able to blend in. The bead bugs that had a color that stood out were often eaten first. The bead bugs that have a color adaptation on their side had a higher survival rate and were able to reproduce and have many offspring. The bead bugs that did not have a color adaptation stood out. They had a low survival rate and had little to no to offspring. If the clear bead bug is put in the environment then it will survive the longest, because it will be able to blend in with the colors in the habitat.

Survival: Some species have higher survival rates than others because they are more adaptable to new conditions and aren’t a completely specialized species like the Koala. For example the platypus has survived over millions of years because it has learnt to adapt to its changing environment rather than dying off because it can’t cope with environmental change.

On the basis of this one factor, would you expect their life spans to be longer or shorter? Longer

“If no such variations exist, the population rapidly goes extinct because it cannot adapt to a changing environment” (O’Neil, 1998-2013). Scientists call this reproductive success. “Within a specific environment context, one genotype will be better than another genotype in survival or reproduction for certain reasons having to do with the way its particular features relate to the environment or relate to other organisms within the population” (Futuyma, 2000-2014). The theory of evolution is explicable through various kinds of scientific research.

Offspring that possess favorable traits are more capable of surviving into adulthood and thus reproducing. We know from genetics that there is an increased likelihood that their offspring would also possess that desirable trait. The population of individuals possessing the trait would increase as more individuals possessing the trait survived to reproductive years, and fewer without the trait did not. Natural selection can help prevent a species from going extinct if they were to face adverse conditions that

They reproduce rapidly, as generally it is the case with small prey animals. No matter how well they are cared for, they possess somewhat short life span. Generally they have short gestational periods and their quick sexual maturity makes effective rodent control decisive. The reproductive cycle and the number of these rodent’s offspring increases with sufficient water, food and harbourage.