What sophisticated biological strategy allows a mother quokka to pause subsequent embryo development?
Answer
Embryonic diapause
Embryonic diapause is a remarkable biological mechanism typical of many macropods, including the quokka. This ability allows the mother to suspend the development of a newly conceived embryo if she already has a young joey actively suckling inside her pouch. The suspended development pauses the embryo's growth until the older sibling leaves the pouch or dies. This sophisticated resource allocation strategy ensures the mother dedicates energy to only one dependent young at a time, a feature unavailable to placental mammals like rodents, which rely on continuous, uninterrupted fetal development inside the womb.
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