Larvae of Marine Bivalves and Echinoderms

摘要

The life cycles of commercially exploited and cultured mollusks and echinodermscomprise, in most cases, a prolonged benthic period and a brief pelagic period. In the benthic period the animal feeds, grows, attains sexual maturity, products gametes, and participates in reproduction. The production of gametes (gametogenesis) and their subsequent release and fertilization by mollusks and enchinoderms inhabiting temperature water usually occurs every year. Present book we describe the larvae of bivalves, sea stars, sea urchins, brittle stars, and sea cucumbers of the Sea of Japan, which are economically important or abundant forms in benthic communities. The larvae of these species are planktonic, feed on phytoplankton, grow, and are carried out to sea by currents.