Question

Which of the following observations can be explained by the energetic limitation of an organism's total reproductive effort?

a. Darters that lay many eggs lay smaller eggs, on average
b. None of thene choices
c. Sood size in plants depends in part on the plant's seed dispersal mechanism.
d. Darter diversity is very high in the Ozark Highlands.
e. Seed size in plants varies over at least 10 orders of magnitude

Answer 1

The energetic limitations of an organism's total reproductive effort explain why organisms with many offspring have smaller offspring on average, as seen in r-selected species that produce many small seeds to ensure some survival, compared to K-selected species that invest more in fewer seeds.

Step-by-step explanation:

The observation that darters that lay many eggs lay smaller eggs, on average, can be explained by the energetic limitations of an organism's total reproductive effort. The energy budget of the parent is finite and must be allocated to either the quantity or the size (and therefore often the quality) of the offspring.

Similarly, seed size in plants is influenced by the reproductive strategy adopted to maximize the chances of offspring survival given the energy available for reproduction. Plants that produce many small seeds, such as dandelions, are known as r-selected species.