Final answer:
Life-history strategy theory involves tradeoffs in allocating resources for growth, maintenance, and reproduction. Three human examples include short-term reproductive strategies (early maturation and high fertility), long-term reproductive strategies (delayed maturation and low fertility), and risky reproductive strategies (reduced parental investment and high mortality). Stable reproductive strategies involve increased parental care and low mortality.
Step-by-step explanation:
All species have evolved a pattern of living, called a life history strategy, in which they partition energy for growth, maintenance, and reproduction. These patterns evolve through natural selection; they allow species to adapt to their environment to obtain the resources they need to successfully reproduce. One major component of life-history strategy theory is the concept of tradeoffs, where a species must allocate its resources between competing demands. For example, a species may need to trade off between early maturation and high fertility, or between delayed maturation and low fertility.
There are three human examples that illustrate these tradeoffs. A) Short-term reproductive strategies involve early maturation and high fertility, such as becoming a teenage parent. B) Long-term reproductive strategies involve delayed maturation and low fertility, such as pursuing education and career before starting a family. C) Risky reproductive strategies involve reduced parental investment and high mortality, such as when a young parent faces challenges in providing sufficient care for their child.
Another major component of life-history strategy theory is stable reproductive strategies, which involve increased parental care and low mortality. An example of this would be when a married couple plans and prepares for starting a family, providing stable and supportive care to their children.