Life History Evolution - 7 | Songbirds & personalities

• Biologie
• Middelbare school
• vmbo b
• Leerjaar 1

Life History Evolution - 7 | Songbirds & personalities

Kees van Oers

• Using passerines as models for research on life history evolution

- Passerines species are numerous, variable and therefore often used to study lifehistory questions 

- Density dependent effects play a major role in passerine life-history trade-offs 

- Trade-offs not only dependent on own decisions, but also on social partners

• Individual differences in life history decisions (animal personality)

- Individuals within species differ consistently in their behaviour

- Personality is linked to Life-history evolution 

-Personality can help us to understand 

- within species variation 

- life-history trade-offs 

- Multiple optimal outcomes of optimality models

'There is so much variation out there in the world, because there are trade-offs.' 

Kees van Oers

Life history characteristics are traits that affect the life table of an organism, and can be imagined as various investments in growth, reproduction, and survivorship.

age- and size-specific reproductive investments

age- and size-specific mortality schedules

growth pattern

size at birth

length of life

number, size, and sex ratio of offspring

age and size at maturity

Name seven traits

What is the carrying capacity?

The selection pressures that determine the reproductive strategy, and therefore much of the life history, of an organism can be understood in terms of r/K selection theory. The central trade-off to life history theory is the number of offspring vs. the timing of reproduction.

r - selected species

K - selected species

Organisms with a high growth rate (r); 

produce a high number of offspring; 

minimal parental care; short lifespans. 

Suited to life in a stable environment in which they can rely on a long lifespan and a low mortality rate that will allow them to reproduce multiple times with a high offspring survival rate.

Subsist near the carrying capacity of their environment (K)

produce a relatively low number of offspring over a longer span of time, and have high parental investment.

Suited to life in an unstable environment, because they reproduce early and abundantly and allow for a low survival rate of offspring.

'Cost of early reproduction causes senescence in your partner.'

Kees van Oers

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Individual differences in life history decisions (animal personality)

- Individuals within species differ consistently in their behaviour

- Personality is linked to Life-history evolution

-Personality can help us to understand

- within species variation

- life-history trade-offs

- Multiple optimal outcomes of optimality models

Great tits can have different personalities, they can be very exploratory or aggressive for example. Explain how that can make a huge difference on multiple life events :