Which term describes animals that mate only once in their lifetime?

Which term describes animals that mate only once in their lifetime?

• A. Monogamy
• B. Iteroparity
• C. Semelparity
• D. Polygyny

Answer: (C)

In this item, the focus is on how often an organism reproduces over its lifetime. Semelparity is when an animal reproduces just once and then typically dies or ceases to reproduce, investing all its reproductive effort in that single event. That’s why animals that mate only once in their lifetime are described as semelparous. You can see this strategy in some insects and fish, like certain mayflies or Pacific salmon, which have one big reproductive bout. Iteroparity, by contrast, involves multiple reproductive cycles across life, so those organisms reproduce more than once. Monogamy is about mating with a single partner, not the number of times reproduction occurs. Polygyny refers to one male mating with multiple females, also unrelated to how many reproductive events an individual has. So the best fit for “mate only once in a lifetime” is semelparity.

In this item, the focus is on how often an organism reproduces over its lifetime. Semelparity is when an animal reproduces just once and then typically dies or ceases to reproduce, investing all its reproductive effort in that single event. That’s why animals that mate only once in their lifetime are described as semelparous. You can see this strategy in some insects and fish, like certain mayflies or Pacific salmon, which have one big reproductive bout.

Iteroparity, by contrast, involves multiple reproductive cycles across life, so those organisms reproduce more than once. Monogamy is about mating with a single partner, not the number of times reproduction occurs. Polygyny refers to one male mating with multiple females, also unrelated to how many reproductive events an individual has. So the best fit for “mate only once in a lifetime” is semelparity.