what advantages could hermaphroditism have for a organism in general & 4 slow moving organisms like earthworms

Answer 1

There are two very big advantages.

For one, EVERYONE is a potential mate. The question of whether that sexy worm nearby is a boy-worm or a girl-worm is simply not one that ever needs to occur. Not having to find the right kind of mate certainly cuts down look the amount of looking that's necessary. (Not to mention cutting down on worm homophobia.)

The other big advantage is that a typical sexual encounter will produce TWO 'pregnant' parents. Of course worms don't really get pregnant in that sense, but it does mean that instead of one worm producing all the offspring while the other goes off to a bar and brags to his friends, they both do it. And there's twice as many offspring. A good idea, survival-wise.

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

Earthworms do not fertilize their own eggs. They trade sperms with another worm and the fertilization happens later when the mucus cocoon secreted by that smooth band (the clitellum) slips off and picks up the eggs and sperms.

It's an advantage for relatively slow organisms like earthworms to be hermaphrodites because every worm they meet is a potential mate. Whichever worm they encounter on a damp night when they are looking for a mate -- any worm is the right worm for a mate.

Answer 3

Hermaphroditic Organisms

Answer 4

You don't need a mate. This allows you to quickly populate without needing to go through the mating process, which can be time-consuming and in some cases dangerous.
Disadvantage is that your offspring will be clones and thus, if something viral comes along and infects you, it can easily wipe you and your entire 'family' out, since there is zero genetic variation (almost entirely).
It helps for earthworms... I'm not sure, but I guess since it's possibly harder for them to find a mate, to mate, and to lay eggs. I don't think earthworms lay a great deal of eggs, so by managing to create genetic clones of itself, an earthworm has a higher chance of populating and surviving.