Adaptations strongly linked to an individuals

• Growth
• Development
• Survivorship
• Reproductive parameters
  These determine $r$, the population intrinsic growth rate.

Energy consumption and body size in offspring

• Kleiber's Law states the resting metabolic rate is proportional to 3/4 of an animal's mass
  • A cat with mass 100x of a mouse will consume 32x the energy a mouse uses

Life history Trade-offs

• quality vs quantity, growth vs reproduction

Number of reproductive events

Iteroparity

• many reproductive events - less resources for each event
• e.g. most mammals

Semelparity

• Semelparous organisms only reproduce once and put all their effort into it
  • Octopus, Pacific salmon

K and r strategies

AKA r-selected and K-selected

• (K is carrying capacity)
• r-strategy is density independent, population persists below K
• K-strategy density dependent, population persists near carrying capacity K
  Not all species fit nicely in one category - cane toads can show either strategy as their range expands - individuals further from their introduction point are more r-selected and grow slower than individuals closer

Phenotypic Plasticity

• Ability to change phenotype in response to different environments, or adaptability
• Example of great tits who lay eggs earlier as springs become warmer