Question

Animal Reproduction Interactivity

Can you describe how an aquarium moon jellyfish population will change over time?


Record Data and Observations




Part 1 Explore the Life Cycle


For each transition in the jellyfish life cycle, indicate whether it is the result of growth, sexual reproduction, or asexual reproduction. Provide the evidence that supports your choice for each.






Adult medusas to larvae










Larva to polyp










Polyp to reproducing polyp










Reproducing polyp to juvenile medusas










Juvenile medusas to adult medusas






Analyze and Conclude




1. Draw Conclusions Once polyps have been established and are producing juvenile medusas, is sexual reproduction required to provide adult medusas for the exhibit? Explain why or why not.














2. Scientific Writing The museum has asked you to make a sign for the exhibit. Visitors will read the sign when guides and volunteers are not available to talk about the exhibit. Using the information gathered in this interactivity, write a paragraph that describes what visitors may see in the tank and explains the reproductive cycle of jellyfish.

Answer 1

The population of a moon jellyfish in an aquarium changes over time due to its life cycle, which involves both sexual and asexual reproduction. Once polyps have been established and are producing juvenile medusas, sexual reproduction is not required to provide adult medusas for the exhibit. Visitors to the jellyfish exhibit may see a tank containing moon jellyfish at different stages of their life cycle, showcasing their reproductive cycle.

Step-by-step explanation:

The population of moon jellyfish in an aquarium can change over time due to the different stages of their life cycle. The life cycle of a moon jellyfish includes both sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction. Here is how the population changes:

1. Adult medusas to larvae: This transition is the result of sexual reproduction. Adult medusas release gametes (sperm and eggs) into the water, and fertilization occurs to form larvae.
2. Larva to polyp: This transition is the result of asexual reproduction. The larvae settle on a suitable substratum and develop into polyps.
3. Polyp to reproducing polyp: This transition is also the result of asexual reproduction. The polyps reproduce by budding or fragmentation, forming additional polyps that can also reproduce.
4. Reproducing polyp to juvenile medusas: This transition is the result of asexual reproduction. The reproducing polyps produce buds that develop into juvenile medusas.
5. Juvenile medusas to adult medusas: This transition is the result of growth. The juvenile medusas grow and mature into adult medusas.

1. Draw Conclusions: Once polyps have been established and are producing juvenile medusas, sexual reproduction is not required to provide adult medusas for the exhibit. This is because the reproducing polyps can continue to produce new juvenile medusas through asexual reproduction, maintaining the population of adult medusas.

2. Scientific Writing: Visitors to the jellyfish exhibit may see a tank containing moon jellyfish at different stages of their life cycle. The exhibit showcases the reproductive cycle of the jellyfish, starting from adult medusas releasing gametes that develop into larvae. The larvae then settle and grow into polyps, which reproduce asexually by budding or fragmentation. The reproducing polyps give rise to juvenile medusas, which eventually grow into adult medusas. The exhibit demonstrates the fascinating life cycle of moon jellyfish and their ability to reproduce through both sexual and asexual means.

Answer 2

Step 1

Jellyfish do not give birth to their young because they expel undeveloped eggs in the form of zygote or embryo from their bodies and deposit them on the ocean floor before moving on. They don't even care about the eggs that have been laid.

Step 2

Jellyfish have two distinct body types during their lives: medusa and polyps. Polyps reproduce by budding while medusa reproduce as by spawning eggs and sperm.

Jellyfish can reproduce in the adult, or medusa, stage by releasing sperm and eggs into the water, forming a planula. Polyps clone themselves and bud, or strobilate, into ephyra, a different stage of jellyfish life. The adult medusa jellyfish develops from his form.

Only a few jellyfish species obtain sperm through their mouths in order to fertilise eggs within their bodies, but the majority of jellyfish simply release sperm or eggs into the water. They will do this once a day, normally at dawn or dusk, if conditions are favorable.