Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Evolutionary theory
Probably the most widely accepted theory explaining the evolution of Caterpillars
larval stages is the need for dispersal. Sessile organisms such as
barnacles and tunicates, and sea-floor groups like mussels and crabs,
need some way to move their young into new territory, since they
cannot move long distances as adults. Many species have relatively
long pelagic larval stages (how long a larva is in the water
column).[1][2] During this time, larvae feed and grow, and many
species move through several stages of development. For example,
most barnacles moult through six nauplius larva stages before
moulting to a cipris, when they look to settle. The larvae eat different
food from the adults, and disperse.
The other consideration is the small size of the eggs. If animals lay
many small eggs (and most do), then the young stages cannot live the
life the adults lead. They must live a separate life until they have the
size and capability to live as an adult. This is what the larvae do.
Origin of vertebrates
References
1. Brothers E.B., D.M. Williams, and P.F. Sale. 1983. Length
of larval life n twelve families of fishes at “One Tree
Lagoon,” Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Marine Biol. 76:
319-324.
2. Scheltema R.S. 1986. On dispersal and planktonic larvae
of benthic invertebrates: an eclectic overview and summary
of problems. Bull. Mar. Sci. 39: 290-322.
3. Garstang, Walter 1894. Preliminary notes on a new theory
of the phylogeny of the chordates [chordates are
vertebrates + a few closely related invertebrates].
Zoologischer Anzeiger 17, p122.
4. Garstang, Walter 1928. The morphology of the tunicata,
and its bearing on the phylogeny of the Chordata. Quarterly A trochophore larva
Journal of Microscopical Science 72, p51.
5. de Beer, Gavin 1951. Embryos and ancestors. 3rd ed,
Oxfor, The evolution of chordates, p76.
6. Delsuc, Frédéric et al. 2006. Tunicates and not cephalochordates are the closest living
relatives of vertebrates. Nature 439, 965-968
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License and the GFDL; additional terms may
apply. See Terms of Use for details.