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Semelparous organisms only spawn once in their life before dying

-Have larger spawns in a single reproductive period

-Death is usually shortly after spawning

-Population has a tendency to crash rapidly or surge rapidly

Has a shorter lifespan as spawning costs a large amount of energy

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What are the reproductive strategies it employs?

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What are the reproductive strategies it employs?

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How does the reproductive strategies contribute to the survival?

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How does the reproductive strategies contribute to the survival?

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Iteroparous organisms are able to spawn multiple during their lifetime without passing

-Has a smaller size spawn due to lower fertility per reproductive episode

-Allows the parent to care for young increasing infant survival rate

Typically also has a longer lifespan and spawning is less energy taxing on the organism

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Definition: Individuals have 1 mate at a time.

Advantages:

Ensures biparental care, increasing offspring survival

Pair bonding & long-term partnerships enhances genetic diversity

Reduces risk of STDs

Disadvantages:

No. of offspring produced is limited

Reproductive success is reduced if a partner dies/is infertile

Can lead to intense competition & aggression over mates

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Definition: Individual(s) have multiple mates, depending on sex roles & hierarchy

Polyandry: One female mates with multiple males

Advantages:

Improves genetic diversity & increases offspring survival

Flexibility in mating choices

Advantageous when females are dominant, reducing male competition

Disadvantages:

Unequal reproductive success due to risk of males committing infanticide

Higher energy costs for females

Increased male competition

Polygyny: One male mates with multiple females

Advantages:

Allows males to sire many offspring

Flexibility in mating choices

Advantageous when males are dominant, reducing female competition

Disadvantages:

Unequal reproductive success, males may resort to deceptive mimicry or infanticide

Increases competition & aggression among males

Males may require more resources to support multiple mates

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A sexual system where individual organisms exist as one of two possible sexes, male or female. Producing gametes of only one sex.

Most fish species are gonochoristic except wrasses, clownfish etc.

Advantages:

Higher survival and higher fecundity

Reaching sexual maturity early

Separate sees increase genetic diversity

Disadvantages:

2 individuals of different sexes have to find each other to reproduce

Competition for mates

Mate Availability

Sexual dimorphism --> showy or distinctive features that attract mates can also attract predators

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Definition: Both genders have indiscriminate involvement of multiple partners

Advantages:

Maximizes genetic diversity

Reduced risk of inbreeding, increasing reproductive success

Lessens need for territorial defense or long-term pair bonds

Disadvantages:

Higher risk of STDs

Reduced parental care & investment, lower offspring survival rates

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Advantages:

Increased survival rates due to high protection & care for developing offspring

Reduced predation risks

Enhanced offspring development due to constant monitoring & care

Disadvantages:

High energy & time investment for parents, sometimes at the cost of their life

Limited no. of offspring parents can care for

Parents face increased predation risk

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Advantages:

Increased offspring survival due to protection from predators & environmental hazards

Allows for territory defense, ensuring resource availability for offspring

Disadvantages:

Energy & vigilance from parents

Increased risk of parental injury or death

Limited parental ability to forage or mate during guarding period

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Advantages:

Safe & controlled environment for offspring development

Concealed eggs/young = reduced predation risks

Disadvantages:

Building/maintaining nest is energy & resource intensive

Nest at risk of predation or environmental destruction

Parents may be limited in mobility/ability to respond to changing conditions

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A single individual has both male and female reproductive organs at some point in life.

Some examples of unique hermaphroditic vertebrates include snook, clown fish, wrasse, angelfish, grouper, goby and parrotfish. Some of them change from male to female after maturation, while some were born female and switch to male.

Advantages

Expanding the pool of potential mates, it may be even possible for them to even fertilize its own eggs

Increased reproductive success

Population survival, higher chance of preventing extinction as compared to gonochoristic

Disadvantages

Reduced genetic diversity if they were to self-fertilize

Self-fertlization and maintaining both male and female reproductive organs can be energetically demanding.

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Gonochoristic

Genetic diversity and variation,

enhancing the ability for the offspring to adapt well and even increase reproductive success.

Ovoviviparity (Internal fertilization)

Eggs are protected within the mother's body, reducing predation risk.

Mother's body provides a stable environment for the embryo development, ensuring optimal conditions.

Fertilized eggs are nourished by the egg yolk and a specialized uterine milk produced by the mother.

Delayed Maturity:

As bowmouth guitar fish takes several years to reach maturity (6-7 years), delayed age of sexual maturity, allows individuals to reach a larger size before reproduction, increasing their chances of survival and reproductive success.

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The bowmouth guitarfish, or Rhina ancylostoma is a rare species that resembles both rays and sharks.

People call it a "mud skate" or a "shark ray" .

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-Its rounded snout and wide, flat head give it a guitar-like form.

-Mostly found in tropical coastal seas, frequently in close proximity to muddy or sandy bottoms.

-Carnivore that consumes mollusks, fish, and crustaceans.

-Due to habitat degradation and overfishing for both flesh and fins, this species is critically endangered.

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Reproductive: Bowmouth guitarfish reproduce by ovoviviparous, producing live offspring. Within the female's body, the eggs mature and hatch, giving birth to fully formed offspring.

Gestation Period: Although the bowmouth guitarfish's exact length is unknown, it is thought to be several months, similar to many other ray species.

Brood Size: The brood size, or total number of offspring, is comparatively low. Each litter of bowmouth guitarfish produces three to four pups.

Mating Behavior: Many rays and sharks are known to display internal fertilization, in which the male transfers sperm to the female by using claspers, which are adapted pelvic fins.

Parental Care: Parental care is not given by bowmouth guitarfish. From birth, the pups are left to fend for themselves and are independent.