Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Life history theory attempts to explain the diversity of life history patterns, and the mechanisms by which natural selection has shaped life-history traits. It attempts to answer questions such as why organisms are large or small, why they grow fast or slowly, why they mature early or late, why they produce one or many offspring, and why they reproduce once or many times during their lives. In this article, we introduce the concepts of life history and life history traits, fitness, and provide an overview of analytical tools that are commonly used in life history studies.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/B978-0-12-800049-6.00083-4

Type

Chapter

Book title

Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology

Publication Date

14/04/2016

Pages

394 - 399