Final answer:
An insect producing many offspring with no care has a Type III curve, a mammal with few offspring and extended care has a Type I curve, and a lizard with equal survival chance at all ages has a Type II curve.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the three types of survivorship curves used by population ecologists to depict the number of individuals surviving at various age intervals in a population over time. Based on the descriptions in the question:
- An insect that can produce 1000 offspring per season and provides no parental care would most likely exhibit a Type III survivorship curve. This curve is characterized by high mortality at early ages, but much lower mortality rates for those that survive to older ages, typical of organisms that produce a large number of offspring with little to no parental care.
- A mammal that produces two offspring and provides parental care for two years after birth would exhibit a Type I survivorship curve. This type is marked by low mortality during early and middle life, with an increase in mortality in older age, typical of species that have fewer offspring and provide substantial parental care.
- A lizard with an equal chance of survival throughout its lifespan would likely exhibit a Type II survivorship curve. This type of curve shows relatively constant mortality throughout the entire lifespan of the organism.
These survivorship curves help ecologists understand the reproductive strategies and life histories of different species, which can be used to inform conservation efforts and predict population changes.