Definition
Life history theory posits organisms face tradeoffs in how they allocate resources to reproduction, parenting, and growth. These patterns of resource allocation can be classified more broadly into life history strategies, which vary on a continuum from fast to slow. These distinctions can be applied to describe within species and between species differences. Slow strategies are marked by increased investment in growth, a delay in reproductive investment, and increased investment in parenting. In contrast, fast strategies are marked by early investment in reproduction at a cost of growth and a reduced investment in parenting in favor of further reproduction.
Introduction
Life History Strategies
Life history theory (LHT) is grounded in a simple premise – resources are limited and thus organisms face tradeoffs in how they “decide” to allocate those resources to growth, health maintenance, and various...
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Wang, I.M., Michalak, N.M., Ackerman, J.M. (2021). Life History Strategies. In: Shackelford, T.K., Weekes-Shackelford, V.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_1926
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