Hi Annelidans,
Salva wrote:
> Could you give some examples of the life span of planktonic polychaete
> larvae?
I am sure, others will answer too, but here's what I know:
For a work on modelling the larval dispersal of deep-sea hydrothermal-vent
alvinellid polychaetes (Chevaldonne et al. 1997; see ref below), we
searched what was known about the life span of polychaete pelagic larvae,
mainly focusing on Terebellomorph polychaetes.
Here are excerpts from the discussion:
"The longest planktonic period recorded for the larvae of Ampharetidae, a
polychaete family related to Alvinellidae, is 3-5 days (Nyholm 1951). (...)
Ampharetid species are reported to have an entire larval life (i.e.
planktonic and non-planktonic) lasting 2-5 weeks (Hutchings 1973; Zottoli
1974). (...) However, Thorson (1961) reported that polychaetes are among
the invertebrates that can delay the most their metamorphosis, and cites a
maximum pelagic larval life of 18 weeks for polychaetes. (...) In addition,
some terebellids are known to metamorphose and subsequently feed as
juveniles in the plankton while still drifting (Levin and Greenblatt 1981)."
Hope this helps. As for the alvinellids, the question is still unresolved
for sure. If you're interested, a second paper on this topic is in press in
Evolution (August 1999), this time focusing on theoretical genetic aspects
(Jollivet et al. 1999; see ref below).
Wormly
Pierre
Refs:
Chevaldonné, P., Jollivet, D., Vangriesheim, A., Desbruyères, D. 1997.
Hydrothermal-vent alvinellid polychaete dispersal in the eastern Pacific.
1. Influence of vent site distribution, bottom currents and biological
patterns. Limnol. Oceanogr. 42(1): 67-80.
Jollivet, D., Chevaldonné, P., Planque, B. 1999. Hydrothermal-vent
alvinellid polychaete dispersal in the eastern Pacific. 2. A metapopulation
model based on habitat shifts. Evolution 53(4): in press.
Nyholm, K. G. 1951. Contributions to the life-history of the ampharetid,
Melinna cristata. Zool. Bidr. Uppsala 29: 79-93.
Hutchings, P. A. 1973. Age structure of a Northumberland population of
Melinna cristata (Polychaeta: Ampharetidae). Mar. Biol. 18: 218-227.
Zottoli, R. A. 1974. Reproduction and larval development of the ampharetid
polychaete Amphicteis floridus. Trans. Am. Microsc. Soc. 93: 78-89.
Thorson, G. 1961. Length of pelagic larval life in marine bottom
invertebrates as related to larval transport by ocean currents, p. 455-474.
In M. Sears [ed.], Oceanography. AAAS.
Levin, L. A., and P. R. Greenblatt. 1981. Bottoms up: juvenile terebellid
polychaetes feeding in the water column. Bull. South. Calif. Acad. Sci. 80:
131-133.
Pierre Chevaldonne
CNRS - UMR DIMAR, Station Marine d'Endoume
Centre d'Oceanologie de Marseille
Rue de la Batterie des Lions
13007 Marseille, France
Tel: 33 4 91 04 16 59
Fax: 33 4 91 04 16 35
E-mail: chevaldonne at com.univ-mrs.fr
Web: http://www.com.univ-mrs.fr
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