Final answer:
The set of rules and choices that affect an individual's survival and reproduction at each age is known as a life history strategy. It is shaped by natural selection and includes how species manage their energy for growth, reproduction, and maintenance, as well as when they choose to reproduce.
Step-by-step explanation:
The set of rules and choices influencing an individual's survival and reproduction at each age is referred to as life history strategy. This concept encompasses how a species partitions energy for growth, maintenance, and reproduction to adapt to their environmental conditions and successfully reproduce.
Different species have adopted various life history strategies, such as K-selected species, which tend to have fewer offspring with more parental investment, and r-selected species, which often have many offspring with little to no parental care.