You are studying a population of Aplysia dactylomela (spotted sea hares) and you want to make predictions about their reproductive strategy. The population lives in seagrass beds in a region of the Caribbean that is relatively unpolluted, shallow, and has a year round temperature of around 25°C. What reproductive strategy is most likely found in this population?
Multiple Choice
a. seasonal iteroparity
b. semelparity
c. Type lll
d. Type l
e. continuous iteroparity
The spotted sea hares living in seagrass beds reproduce through semelparity.
Explanation:
Sea grass is a submerged aquatic vegetation formed from terrestrial plants adapted to live in the sea water.
They form the habitat for gastropods (molluscs) including sea hares which are herbivores and mostly eat red algae.
The colour of the sea hares vary depending on food they intake. Aplysia dactylomela (spotted sea hares) show internal fertilization ,the sperm donor and recipient.
