Semelparous
From Latin 'semel' (once) + 'parere' (to beget)
A reproductive strategy where organisms breed only once in their lifetime, typically investing all resources in a single massive reproductive event before dying. Also called 'big bang' reproduction.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 4 chapters:
"Some species go extreme: Pacific salmon grow rapidly for years, then make one massive reproductive effort (swim upstream, spawn, die). They're semelparous - reproducing once, then death. The trade-off is total: all remaining energy goes to reproduction, somatic maintenance ends, the organism dies. Othe..."
"...000), but total lifetime output is higher (6,000-8,000 eggs across multiple spawnings). Two strategies, same species family: - Pacific salmon (semelparous): Reproduce once, die. 100% allocation to single reproductive event. - Atlantic salmon (iteroparous): Reproduce multiple times, survive between..."
"After spawning, they die - 100% mortality. The dying salmon decompose, fertilizing the stream that their offspring will grow up in. This is semelparous reproduction: reproduce once, then die. It's programmed. The salmon don't die from exhaustion (they have energy reserves)."
"...uilding deep roots and energy reserves before flowering - those that flowered too early produced fewer viable seeds and left no descendants. This is semelparous reproduction - reproduce once, then die (from Latin semel = once, pario = to beget). But most plants aren't semelparous."
Biological Context
Pacific salmon, century plants, and many insects are semelparous. They accumulate resources over their lifetime, convert everything to reproduction, and die. This strategy works when conditions for reproduction are unpredictable or when reproductive success scales strongly with investment.
Business Application
Semelparous business strategy: building toward a single exit event (IPO, acquisition) rather than ongoing returns. All resources concentrated on maximizing that one outcome.