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#semelparous

2 public questions tagged with this topic.

Population Regulation

Which of the following is semelparous?

Mayflies are commonly semelparous. The aquatic immature stage may last months or years, but the winged adult is short-lived and ordinarily mates during a single reproductive period before dying. Loggerhead turtles and maple trees breed repeatedly. As with all life-history labels, the relevant criterion is the number of reproductive episodes, not simply organism size or lifespan. Allocation trade-offs arise because stored carbon, nutrients, time, and physiological capacity are finite. Reproduction can reduce maintenance and future survival, while maintenance can postpone offspring production. L

Ref: Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, Begon et al., 5th Ed., Ch. 5

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Population Ecology

Which organism is NOT semelparous?

The keyed exception is “Dracena.” In the context of which organism is not semelparous, that statement differs from the governing ecological pattern and must be evaluated against the mechanism rather than accepted from wording alone. Survivorship curves summarize age-specific mortality: Type I concentrates loss late in life, Type II approximates a constant hazard, and Type III concentrates loss early. They are empirical patterns, not rigid taxonomic rules. The remaining alternatives—“Bamboo”, “Cicada”, “Mayfly”—refer to different states, processes, or scales and therefore do not express the sam

Ref: Campbell Biology, Urry et al., 12th Ed., Unit 8 Ecology

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