Final answer:
In populations with high mortality rates, individuals are more likely to invest in early reproduction to ensure the continuation of their genes. This tendency is an adaptation shaped by natural selection within their specific environmental context, and it is part of their overall life history strategy.
Step-by-step explanation:
On ecological mortality and the evolution of aging, in populations where mortality rates are high, individuals tend to invest more in early reproduction. This strategy maximizes the chances of producing offspring before death. When environments have high mortality rates, especially before organisms reach sexual maturity, natural selection favors those who reproduce earlier in their lifecycle, ensuring that their genes are passed on. Conversely, species with lower mortality rates and the potential for longer lives may invest in growing bigger and healthier, delaying reproduction to provide better parental care, increase fecundity, or otherwise improve their offspring's chances of survival. This is an important aspect of an organism's life history strategy, shaped by the forces of natural selection to adapt to their environmental challenges and resources availability.