Abstract
Colonies of hydroid polyps of the genus Eudendrium Ehrenberg release planula larvae with a high yolk content. Immediately after hatching, they begin to excrete a slime rope. In the presence of water movements, larvae hatching simultaneously tend to join a trail of slime; in stagnant water, the larvae move down the rope separately. The planula larvae are unable to float. On the basis of aquarium observations, we suggest that slime ropes with larvae adhere to substrates in the vicinity of the mother colony; this prevents the larvae from being carried off too far into open waters. In view of the absence of medusae in Eudendrium, this response of the planula is interpreted as an adaptation to a purely sessile life cycle. Structure and distribution of the slime secretions are documented by means of light and electron-microscope photos.
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Communicated by O. Kinne, Hamburg
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Wasserthal, L.T., Wasserthal, W. Ökologische bedeutung der schleimsekretion bei den planula-larven der hydroidengattung Eudendrium . Mar. Biol. 22, 341–345 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391391
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00391391