The timing of when to gain sexual maturity and begin breeding is a tricky one. I

Question

The timing of when to gain sexual maturity and begin breeding is a tricky one. Imagine a bird species that ordinarily gained sexual maturity in its second year, and would lay 2 eggs each year for 3 years, before dying. Now imagine there was a simple mutation that allowed the birds to lay 4 eggs during year 2. While it seems like this would be a great fitness advantage, it might actually be quite costly. Why might it be maladaptive (i.e., non-adaptive) for a female to lay 4 eggs in year 2? What effect might it have on her long-term fitness? Think about average reproductive success at each age and how that might vary depending on reproductive effort in year 2

Explanation / Answer

The bird after gaining the sexual maturity at the age of 2 year produces 6 eggs on an average in its life span in a duration of 3 years.when she lays 4 eggs immediately after gaining sexual maturity at the age of 2, that will affect the overall fitness of the bird.

It might be possible that the bird will not be able to lay any egg in future as an energy cost for the production of four eggs at a time. Further the offsprings produce by this higher rate of egg laying will not be fit for survival and hence will not be able to survive till their reproductive ages.

Hence the fitness of parent and offspring both will be paid as a cost for such higher reproductive rate.

As according to Darwinian fitness if early maturity and higher reproductive rates are followed the cost will be survival and fitness of parents and offsprings hence reproductive success and long term- fitness decreases.

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