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Birds like sparrows build nests and care for their eggs and chicks, while reptiles like snakes usually lay their eggs and leave them without protection. How might this difference in parental care affect the chances of survival for the young ones in each case?
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Key Points
Parental care raises survival, so fewer young are needed.
Key Points / Good Practices
- Sparrows build nests and feed and guard their chicks.
- So a high share of their young survive to grow up.
- Snakes lay eggs and leave them unprotected.
- So many of their young are eaten before they grow.
- Animals with care can have fewer young safely.
- Animals without care must lay more eggs to make up for losses.
More parental care means more young survive with fewer eggs.
