Final answer:
Helmet Jelly reproduces both asexually, through polyp budding, and sexually, with medusae releasing gametes. The planula larva formed after fertilization develops into a polyp, which can reproduce asexually or become a medusa to continue the cycle.
Step-by-step explanation:
Helmet Jelly Reproduction
The Helmet Jelly, or jellyfish, has a complex life cycle that involves multiple stages and both asexual and sexual reproduction methods. Asexual reproduction occurs in the polyp stage, where polyps reproduce by budding. As for sexual reproduction, the adult jellyfish, known as medusae, release gametes into the water. When sperm from the male medusa enters a female, fertilization occurs internally or externally depending on the species, leading to the formation of a planula larva. This free-swimming larvae is motile and eventually settles, transforming into a new polyp, and the cycle begins again.
In scyphozoans, which include many jellyfish species, the medusae are usually sexually dimorphic, meaning they have separate male and female individuals. Each medusa produces either sperm or eggs that are released into the water. Following external fertilization, the zygote develops into a planula larva, which after settling, metamorphoses into a polyp. That polyp may then undergo asexual reproduction through budding to produce more polyps or start producing medusa buds. In certain species, the planula larva can directly develop into a medusa.