1. organism reproductive strategies: Frogs & hydra

2. Hydra leopard frogs
Freshwater animals (belongs in the phylum Cnidaria)
Lifespan: Can live forever (depending on their living condition)
Adults: 1 inch in length
Breed every two days on average
Amphibians (cold-blooded vertebrate with gills)
Lifespan: 2-4 years
Adults: 2-4 inches in length
Breed once a year
Males are smaller than females
Uses special call to attract mate

3. Reproductive category & description
Frogs use sexual reproduction to reproduce. Some characteristics of their reproduction strategy include:
Number of offspring produced per cycle: eggs
Frequency of cycle: 1 year
Age of sexual maturity: 3 yrs. old
Length of gestation: None
Males use a call to attract females
Males clasp females from behind causing her to lay hundreds of eggs
As eggs are laid in water the male frog expels sperm over the eggs to fertilize them
Takes place at either night or dawn in spring
Eggs sometimes attach to water plants

4. Reproductive category & description cont.
Hydra use both sexual and asexual reproduction to reproduce. Some characteristics of their reproduction strategies include:
Number of offspring produced per cycle: 1
Frequency of cycle: Every two days
Age of sexual maturity: 5-10 days
Length of gestation: N/A
Reproductive strategies:
Asexual: Forms bud on the body wall that eventually evolve into one hydra that breaks off from parent.
Sexual: Hydra produce both ovaries and testes. Eggs in the ovary are fertilized by sperm shed into the water. The zygote then develops into an embryo and forms a hard shell to survive through the winter. It then hatches in the spring.

5. Advantages & disadvantages
Frog advantages:
More eggs are laid at once --- -> increased chance of having offspring that survive
Disadvantages:
Eggs are only laid once a year
95% of offspring don’t make it
Hydra advantages:
Reproduces frequently
Can reproduce in harsh weather through sexual reproduction
Disadvantages:
Asexual reproduction sometimes depends on how well fed the hydra is

6. Hydra & frog comparison
Similarities:
Both use sexual reproduction and release eggs/zygote into water
Both have no gestation length
Differences:
Hydras can reproduce asexually through a process called budding
Frogs produce many offspring at one time
Hydras only produce one offspring at a time
Hydra’s cycle is more frequent than a frog’s