Biology 2483A Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Sea Anemone, Asexual Reproduction, Amphiprioninae
8 Oct 2013
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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, 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. Why do clownfish maintain the hierarchy: they are completely dependent on protection by the sea anemone. They are easy prey outside the anemone: conflicts result in expulsion and death, probably without having reproduced. So there is a strong selection pressure to avoid conflict.
