Video Transcript
Which statement about reproduction in organisms is true? (A) Reproduction is essential for the continuity of a species. (B) An organism cannot survive without reproductive organs. (C) Terrestrial organisms generally produce more offspring than aquatic
organisms. Or (D) a failure of one individual to reproduce will lead to the extinction of the
whole species.
The ability to reproduce is a common trait among all species. However, reproduction can take on different forms depending on how species have
adapted to their environments. Let’s look through these answer choices for the true statement and eliminate any
choices that are incorrect.
First of all, it is incorrect that one organism not reproducing will cause extinction
of the whole species. This would only be true if there were only one individual of the species with the
possibility to reproduce, which is almost never the case. In fact it is pretty common for there to be individuals of a species that don’t
reproduce. As long as some individuals of the species are reproducing, the species will
persist. So we can eliminate (D).
Also, it is not correct that terrestrial organisms generally produce more offspring
than aquatic organisms. If anything, it is the other way around. While there is wide variation in reproduction among both aquatic and terrestrial
organisms, generally aquatic organisms produce more offspring because the aquatic
environment generally contains more predators and sometimes fewer resources, which
can make survival to adulthood more difficult. For this reason, producing more offspring is an important survival strategy for many
aquatic species. We can therefore eliminate (C).
It is also not true that an organism cannot survive without reproductive organs. In individuals, reproductive organs may potentially be missing or differently
developed at birth or may be removed surgically for health reasons. Neither of these alone would affect the life span of the individual. So we can eliminate (B).
It is the case, as we mentioned before, that some individuals of a species must
reproduce in order for the species to continue to exist. Therefore, (A) is a true statement and the correct answer. It is true that reproduction is essential for the continuity of a species.
