Reproductive strategies

Reproductive Strategies

Definition:
Reproductive strategies are the methods and behaviours organisms use to reproduce and ensure the survival of their offspring.

Reproductive Strategies

Main Types of Reproductive Strategies are:

Courtship, Mating, Fertilisation, Development, Asexual reproduction

1. r-Strategists

   • Produce many offspring

   • Little parental care

   • High offspring mortality

   • Fast maturity and reproduction

   • Adapted to unstable or unpredictable environments

   • Examples: insects, many fish, amphibians

2. K-Strategists

   • Produce few offspring

   • High parental care and investment

   • Low offspring mortality

   • Slow maturity and reproduction

   • Adapted to stable environments near carrying capacity (K)

   • Examples: elephants, humans, large mammals

Key Concepts

• Fecundity: Number of offspring produced by an organism.

• Parental Investment: Time and energy spent caring for offspring.

• Survivor-ship: Likelihood of offspring surviving to adulthood.

• Trade-offs: Energy invested in reproduction versus survival and growth.

Examples of Strategies

Additional Notes

• Some species exhibit mixed strategies depending on conditions.

• Reproductive strategies evolve to maximise fitness — the ability to pass genes to the next generation.

• Strategies can be influenced by factors like predication, resource availability, and climate.

Task

Chose a animal and find out how it reproduces.

My animal: Otter

How it reproduces: Otters use Courtship

In some species, the male bites the female's upper jaw or nose, in other species the male grasps the female by the scruff of the neck. Copulation takes place in the water, and lasts 10 to 30 minutes. When a male sea otter finds a receptive female, the two engage in playful and sometimes aggressive behaviour.