Final answer:
Male C. elegans can persist in populations even if they fertilize fewer eggs than their frequency by utilizing a reproductive strategy that includes self-fertilizing hermaphrodites and strategically selecting mates to maximize reproductive success, along with their species' short life cycle that allows for rapid reproduction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The possibility for male C. elegans to persist in a population even if they fertilize less than their own frequency depends on several factors. In a species like C. elegans, where the reproductive strategy includes both self-fertilizing hermaphrodites and males, males may not be as essential for the immediate continuation of the population since hermaphrodites can self-fertilize. Additionally, the short life cycle of C. elegans from egg to adult allows for rapid reproduction and fast population growth, which can counterbalance the lower frequency of male-fertilized eggs.
Moreover, males might employ certain behaviors to enhance their reproductive success when sperm becomes a limited resource. For example, in the case of sperm-depleted male fruit flies, they chose larger, more fecund females to mate with, which could increase the chances of successful fertilization. Applying this principle to C. elegans, even if males are less frequent, they can still contribute to the gene pool by strategically selecting partners, thereby compensating for their lower numbers.
Also, it is important to mention that the behavior of males under sperm-depleted conditions can lead to the selection of genes that encourage efficient reproduction tactics. This behavioral biology at the interface with population biology can contribute to the persistence of males in the population of C. elegans even with a low proportion of eggs fertilized by them.