Final answer:
A poor start to life affects male Green Swordtails' ability to dominate due to developmental challenges and inadequate nutrition, which hinder growth and the development of advantageous traits, leading to a decreased chance of mating.
Step-by-step explanation:
A poor start to life affects the ability to dominate in male Green Swordtails due to developmental challenges and inadequate nutrition. Developmental challenges refer to the obstacles during the growth phase, which are critical to the proper development of an organism's traits and can ultimately influence survival and reproductive success. For example, male lions compete for the right to mate, and developmental challenges can critically impact such competition (d. all of the above).
Inadequate nutrition directly impacts the growth and reproductive functions of an organism. In the case of male Green Swordtails, like many other species, resources acquired for growth are paramount, and inadequate nutrition limits the acquisition of such resources, thereby affecting the organism's potential to develop traits that are advantageous for dominance (a. The seeds of two plants land near each other and one grows larger than the other).
When organisms face such developmental challenges and inadequate nutrition, their chances of mating are typically decreased due to poorer health or less development of traits that are attractive to potential mates, such as size or vigor (d. decreased chances of mating between individuals).