Many adult animals die soon after reproducing. Humans do not. Explain why.
Answers
Answer:
Some have termed it “suicidal mating,” when adult animals die shortly after mating for the first time. How could it be beneficial to live a short life and only reproduce once?
In the summer of their fourth year of life, sockeye salmon leave the ocean to journey up the rivers they were born in with a single goal in mind – make babies! As they are programmed to, these brilliant red fish battle their way upstream against the current, over waterfalls, and past looming predators (Fig. 1). They begin to divert all energy to moving upriver and preparing physiologically for reproduction. Once sockeye salmon spawn (i.e. expel eggs and sperm into water), their skin starts to gray and fall away. Fungus begins to spread into skin lesions. Flesh literally begins rotting on their bones. Eventually, these “zombie” salmon die and their eggs and carcasses are all that remains (Fig. 1). It’s a one-way journey and the only chance these salmon have to reproduce.
Figure 1. Sockeye salmon migrate up their natal rivers to reproduce (left). Rather than return to the ocean, they die after spawning successfully (right). (Sources: KSI Photography, Peter Gordon)
A surprising number of organisms follow this rockstar lifestyle – grow fast, mate once, die young. We see examples of this reproductive strategy in some species of fish, insects, gastropods, and mammals. If the biological goal of life is to pass genes on to as many offspring as possible, wouldn’t it make sense evolutionarily to live long and reproduce frequently? As this lifestyle persists in numerous species, it suggests there must be some benefit to their reproductive success. Here are some additional examples of extreme lifecycles and why they would possibly exist in nature.
Explanation:
Most mammals do not die after mating. It takes so long to raise a newborn to being a self-supporting young-adult that the parents have to remain involved for a long time. Due to having less immunity and also extreme reactions taking place inside their body they cannot support the process of reproduction which is why they die after reproducing or before it due to natural death whereas humans have high immunity level due to the amount of food and water they drink everyday....this helps in faster digestion and chemical reactions are executed in ample amount of time!
HOPE IT HELPED!! :D