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Polistes paper wasps are _; females pursue one of three strategies: _, _, or _

User Shikiryu
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Final answer:

Polistes paper wasps are social insects with females adopting polyandrous, polygynous, or sneaking copulations strategies. Polyandry involves many males attracted to a few females, while polygyny has one male mating with multiple females. Sneaking copulations is a tactic where males attempt to mate without holding a territory.

Step-by-step explanation:

Polistes paper wasps are social insects; females pursue one of three strategies: polyandrous mating, polygynous mating, or sneaking copulations. In the context of Polistes paper wasps, polyandry is a reproductive strategy where females attract many males to the resources they control, resulting in a many males-to-few females scenario, especially for females with the richest territories. Conversely, polygyny sees one male mating with multiple females, where dominant males control territories rich in resources, attracting females to mate with, but provide little to no help in rearing the offspring. 'Sneaking copulations' is a strategy where subordinate males attempt to mate without controlling a territory, similar to the 'rock-paper-scissors' game where different male types have advantages over others in different contexts.

In the broader perspective of reproductive strategies, other organisms like worms might exhibit separate sexes, hermaphroditism, and serial hermaphroditism. For example, polychaete worms have trochophore larvae, and oligochaetes have more direct development. Additionally, termites or certain wasps like parasitoid wasps lay their eggs inside or near food sources, to ensure the survival of the offspring without much care from parents, showing the diversity in reproductive tactics across various species.

User Feulgen
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