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  3. Today, we are going to be continuing our discussion of evolution, specifically how the forces of natural selection and environme

Today, we are going to be continuing our discussion of evolution, specifically how the forces of natural selection and environme

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问题    Today, we are going to be continuing our discussion of evolution, specifically how the forces of natural selection and environmental pressures interact. Last time we said that for any species the most important urge is to reproduce and ensure survival of the species. Now any organism has a set amount of energy it can’t devote to the task of reproduction to produce eggs, find a mate, rear its offspring, etc. But different species have different strategies for how they use that energy. Let’s look at two examples to clarify this. For this purpose we’ll compare two aquatic animals: the blue whale and the American shad.
   The blue whale reproduces quite slowly. Females don’t reach sexual maturity until they are about ten years old. They take an entire year to give birth, and the calf is dependent on its mother for at least the next 6 months. That means at maximum, blue whales can reproduce once every two years, and it’s often more like every three years. In the context of this low birth rate, every calf is valuable, and a considerable amount of energy is devoted to caring for the calf and ensuring its survival.
   The American shad reach sexual maturity in as little as three years. They breed every single year. And in one breeding season a female American shad may lay as many as 300, 000 eggs. Of course, only a tiny fraction of these will survive to become mature shad themselves. After the female shad lays her eggs, she moves back into the ocean leaving her young to fend for themselves.
   So blue whales and American shad employ entirely different reproductive strategies that kind of lie on opposite ends of the spectrum. Blue whales invest all of their energy into a small number of offspring, while American shad put their energy into reproducing in huge numbers but with a very low chance of survival into maturity.
   Many other species follow one of these two reproductive strategies. Those that fit into the pattern of the blue whale are known as K-strategies, and those that reproduce in large numbers with low chances of survival for individual offspring are known as R-strategies. So what determines whether a species evolves to be a K-strategist or R-strategist? Well, it largely has to do with the environmental pressures that the species faces and how they fit into their overall habit.
   Blue whales are the biggest organisms in the ocean, and as such they have no natural predators. What’s more, their large bodies mean that they can build up large reserves of fat to sustain them when food is scarce. As a result, a mature blue whale has a very good chance of survival from year to year. In fact, if a blue whale manages to survive its childhood and reach maturity, it will most likely continue to live until it either dies of disease or old age. What all this means is that the blue whale population tends to be pretty stable. It generally doesn’t experience massive or sudden declines, or at least it didn’t until humans started disrupting its habitat.
   American shad lead a much riskier existence. Even when they reach maturity they are preyed upon by a number of larger fish. Moreover, their population is much more susceptible to food shortage and mass starvation. But this is balanced out by the shad’s ability to reproduce quickly, but it can always bounce back.
Which of the following is True of K-strategists?
选项 A、They are generally large predators that prey on small species.
B、They invest most of their energy in a small number of strong offspring.
C、They generally have a high chance of survival once they reach maturity.
D、They are usually found in habitats with plentiful food resources.
答案C
解析 本题细节定位于倒数第二段第四句话“if a blue whale manages to survive its childhood and reach maturity, it will most likely continue to live until it either dies of disease or old age”。由此可知，如果一只蓝鲸能在幼时存活下来并长到成年，它就很有可能继续活下去，直到因疾病或年老而死去。从文中己知蓝鲸的繁殖模式被称为K策略，可知C项的说法与文中相符，因此选择C。
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