Biology 2483A Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Hermaphrodite, Endosperm, Chlamydomonas

• School: Western University
• Department: Biology
• Course: Biology 2483A
• Professor: Hugh Henry

Document Summary

An organism"s life history is a record of events relating to its growth, development, reproduction, and survival. Life history characteristics include: age and size at sexual maturity, amount and timing of reproduction, and survival and mortality rates. In real life, two to six clownfish spend their entire adult lives within one sea anemone, but are not usually related. The largest fish is a female; the next largest is the breeding male. There is a strict pecking order in the group, based on body size. If the female dies, the breeding male becomes a female, and the next largest fish becomes the breeding male. Hatchlings move out of the anemone, and juveniles must find a new anemone to inhabit. Experiments with clownfish show that hierarchy is maintained by regulating growth rates. If two fish become similar in size, a fight results and one is expelled from the anemone. They are completely dependent on protection by the sea anemone.