Multiple choice

Behavioral studies on animals have shown that there is relationship between mechanism of reproduction and male parental care (protecting eggs or the young ones). In aquatic invertebrates, fishes and amphibians for example, the species that practice internal fertilization rarely show male parental care while a majority of species that practice external fertilization tend to exhibit male parental care. This is likely due to

  1. the male sex in species that practice internal fertilization are unable to defend against the predators

  2. the male sex in species that practice internal fertilization live on female as parasite

  3. the fact that the females of species that practice external fertilization die soon after laying the eggs

  4. the certainty of paternity in species that practice external fertilization and this behavior is reinforced over generation by natural selection
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

External fertilization leaves paternity uncertain for internal fertilization species, but external fertilization in aquatic environments allows males to guard eggs with high certainty of paternity, reinforcing male parental care through natural selection.

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