Meroplankton

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• meroplanktonspend only part their life in the plankton larvae of marine invertbrates - bottom dweeling adults also includes nekton plankton 

• used for identification of a species - third life stage 

• dispersal -for sessile marine invertebrates this is the only mobile stage in the life cycle this outwieghs the effort of producing larvae as it increase gen dispersal however increase predation. 

• larval types lecitrophic only last as long as its fuel lasts direct developers recruit very locally to where they are born or hatched 

• metamorphosis development is a continuel procees so doesn't have clear boarders 

• cnidariathese have two larval stages in their life cycle = benthic and planktonic stage.  have panula larvae 

• polychaetes do not look anything like the adults - lecithotropic they have two stages the trochophore and then nectochaete - the first stage has reserves they feed off then the second keeps them as back up larva can see light and dark and the nec can see shapes - tend green and red acts UV suncreen 

• strobilation - how the ephyra are released - stored in a pile of plates 

• mollusc veliger similiar larval stages to polychaetes cannot be transparent because of the yolk - lecithotrophic = pigmented 

• crustacean - Copepods - dominating Nauplius with horns are copepods without are barnacles. sipris is a barnacle thats about to settle - temporially sits on rock to find the best habitat - uses chemicals settle near otro barnacles - hermphrodites 

• echinoderms plankton is patchy due to large spawning of many invertebrates - entire population in one day 

• megalopa - crabs - develop then settle out 

• Bipinnaria/ brachiolarialarvae is like a vessel for the juvenile - carries the gene and feeds for them when its gets bigger will cast of the larval 

• sea lillies - direct developers 

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• tunicates - move to the darkest place and settle there - stick to the first thing you find