Hermaphrodite?

Question

Why is that hermaphroditism often or mainly found in species that are fixed to a surface eg. Earthworm



I would really appreciate it if someone could really help me
Thank YOu

Answer 1

It's helpful for species that don't move around much to be hermaphrodites because every individual encountered is a potential mate.

If a female of some species meets another female, they cannot reproduce together. Likewise, when a male meets another male, they won't be producing any offspring. When organisms are hermaphrodites, every other member of the same species are potential mates. In earthworms, one hermaphrodite worm meets another worm. The other worm is always a potential mate because it makes both eggs and sperms.

Answer 2

The first answer on here is correct, but there's an extra advantage to hermaphroditism. Not only is every other individual encountered a potential mate, but when two individuals DO mate, they fertilize each other and can both produce offspring.