Final answer:
Not every member of a species must reproduce for the species to survive; the survival of a species is dependent on the cumulative reproductive output of its population, and non-reproductive individuals can still contribute to the species' overall success.
Step-by-step explanation:
No, not every member of a species needs to have the ability to reproduce for the species to survive. The continuation of a species is dependent on the collective reproductive success of the population, not on each individual. While reproduction is essential for the survival of a species, certain members may contribute to the species' success in other ways.
For example, in social organisms like bees or ants, many individuals in a colony do not reproduce but instead work to support those that do, such as the queen. Moreover, in sexual reproduction, only those individuals that actually mate and produce offspring pass on their genetic material to the next generation. Some organisms may not find a mate, may be infertile, or may die before reproducing. In species that reproduce sexually, the genetic diversity resulting from the combination of genes from two parents can increase the resilience of a population to changes in the environment.
Reproduction can also take the form of asexual reproduction, where an organism replicates itself without the genetic contribution of another organism. In these populations, every individual is potentially capable of reproducing, which can enable rapid population growth. However, these species may be more vulnerable to environmental changes since there is less genetic diversity.