Question

Jellyfish release the egg and sperm into the sea. The fertilized egg settles down on the sea floor and grows into a polyp. When polyps bud, they form a medusa, which develops into the jellyfish. What is this process of reproduction called?

Answer 1

sexual reproduction. i believe?

Answer 2

Yes, jelly fish do reproduce sexually. Sexual reproduction is loosely a system of reproduction with a haploid phase (gametes, or sperm and egg in humans) and a diploid phase (the fertilized egg through to full grown human).

Sometimes the haploid phase of the life cycle and the diploid phase of the life cycle have different forms. The jelly fish are an example of this: the polyps represent the haploid phase. The polyps bud off bits of themselves (technically called 'strobila') which are also haploid and function a lot like gametes in humans. When two strobila meet, they fertilize and create the diploid phase of the jellyfish's lifecycle, the jelly fish itself.

There is a distinct term for this sort of reproduction - where the haploid phase of the life cycle has one free living form and the diploid phase has a very different free living form.

Answer 3

There are actually a few different terms that would work here. One of them has to do with the fact that the different generations reproduce either asexually or sexually (and they alternate). Another has to do with the fact that the different generations look very different. The correct answer will probably depend largely on what you've learned in class.