Final answer:
Long-lived fish species tend to allocate resources to optimize both growth and fecundity, but with more emphasis on growth in order to enhance survival and reproductive success later in life. Therefore, a low allocation to fecundity and a high allocation to growth would be optimal.
Step-by-step explanation:
For fish that have a lifespan of 10 years or more, an optimal allocation of resources would likely involve a balance between fecundity and growth, leaning toward a higher allocation towards growth. In life history strategies, there is an inverse relationship between fecundity and parental care; thus, species that allocate more resources to growth generally have lower fecundity but may provide more parental care to ensure the survival of their offspring. Fishes that live longer may reproduce later in life, developing a larger and healthier body, enhancing their survival prospects and potentially increasing their chances of successful reproduction when they do so. This entails a life history strategy that balances energy partitioning to allow for both survival through growth and reproduction, although at differing stages of life.
Answer choice (b) Low allocation to fecundity, high to growth would be more aligned with the optimal allocation strategy for longer-lived fish species.