The history of life can be conceptualized as the history of
variant chemical structures harvesting energy to create ever
more complex replicates of similar forms. Life History
Theory (LHT) attempts to explain the "trade-offs" that occur
as a result of this process. The three pertinent facets of
life history to consider include how organisms spend energy
on growth (i.e. traditionally investment in somatic cells),
maintenance (i.e. avoidance of mortality), and reproduction.
By dedicating energy towards growth and maintenance,
an organism can enhance future reproduction.
Growth and maintenance have traditionally been conceptualized
as "somatic effort" (i.e. somatic cell diversification and
replacement, see). On the other hand, organisms can
also dedicate energy towards reproduction. By dedicating
energy towards reproduction, organisms must invariably
reduce the amount of energy dedicated towards growth and
maintenance, as well as reduce the chances of reproducing in
the future.