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During other times of the year, jellyfish are not discussed. But summer is coming and the news about these animals proliferates, as does their presence on the beaches. Vacationers want to enjoy a swim in the sea without annoying bites and are interested in the behavior of these gelatinous creatures.
For years, their number has increased. High temperatures, as well as the change in marine currents, are two of the main causes of this increase in jellyfish, according to the scientist of the Institute for Oceanographic Studies (Oceana), Marta Carreras, who foresees an increase in the presence of jellyfish in tourist areas such as the Balearic Islands, compared to last year, at the end of August. But, how jellyfish reproduce? In Green Ecologist we reveal it below.
How is the reproduction of jellyfish
Jellyfish have an unusual life cycle in the animal kingdom. Jellyfish belong to a class of fauna called hydrozoan, characterized by an alternation of generations: a sexual generation is succeeded by another asexual. Jellyfish have gender and the male's sperm fertilize the female's ovules and the zygote is formed, which grows in the form of larva or planula, as in mammals, birds and fish.
This planula begins its free life, until clings to the seabed and it grows until it forms a polyp, which, for a time, is only responsible for taking food. When the colony of polyps reaches an optimal state of nutrition, the division process begins to form individual jellyfish. Polyps are divided by transverse grooves, their shape has changed, and they resemble pinecones.
The small discs finally become free-living larvae, which grow into an adult jellyfish with gonads in which the eggs or sperm will form.
They are apparently fragile, but, in reality, they are dangerous. The sea currents carry them to the beach, where they disturb the bathers. It is to end of autumn, when the water cools, the time of year when jellyfish breed. In spring, the small jellyfish come out, which are growing. In summer, the proliferation arrives on the beaches. Therefore, global warming, by increasing the temperature of the oceans, causes more jellyfish every year.
In the event of a sting, it is recommended to apply solutions with ammonia to the wound and call on the beach lifeguard.
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