Objective 1: Definitions
We found authoritative uses of the terms ecotypes and life history in
the literature. In papers that make a distinction across various animal
taxa, we focused on information provided for fishes, for example as by
Haig et al. (2006). Our literature search included locating the first
use of the term “ecotype” in the early 1900s and key publications by
Stearns (1992), who is a recognized authority on life history studies in
animals. In addition, we found authoritative definitions for other terms
that have been used synonymously with ecotype and life history.