Question

7. Most wrasses and the basslet Anthias are sequential (protogenous) hermaphrodites. What do you think is an adaptive advantage of this characteristic?

Answer 1

Answer- Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when an individual changes its sex at one stage of life, i.e. they produces female gametes and male gametes at different stages in life.

Usually the members of one sex have a low reproductive competence when they are small and have high reproductive competence when they are large. But when the members of the opposite sex are relatively better at reproductive success when they are small , then when they are large, then this shows Sequential hermaphroditism. It will be favoured by natural selection based on their size.