Oxidative stress as a mediator of life history trade‐offs: mechanisms, measurements and interpretation

The concept of trade-offs is central to our understanding of life-history evolution. The underlying mechanisms, however, have been little studied. Oxidative stress results from a mismatch between the production of damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the organism's capacity to mitigate their damaging effects. Managing oxidative stress is likely to be a major determinant of life histories, as virtually all activities generate ROS. There is a recent burgeoning of interest in how oxidative stress is related to different components of animal performance. The emphasis to date has been on immediate or short-term effects, but there is an increasing realization that oxidative stress will influence life histories…