Ok, I am very confused about the nature of the reproduction of snails: Upon the first search, I found out that most terrestrial snails possess both male and female reproductive organs, which would make them hermaphrodites...but apparently they still mate--this according to About.com.
Meanwhile, I happened upon a lab report completed by students at FSU--much more in depth, I think--which made no mention of snails at all. I did find out that Aphids have a life cycle which actually alternates between sexual and aesexual reproduction by way of Parthenogenesis, a modification of sexual reproduction, in which eggs develop without fertilization. Hm....
But back to the snails: In support of what I read on About.com, I found an explanation of what it means to be a hermaphrodite mollusk on Wikipedia: Because they have both male and female reproductive organs, all land snails lay eggs, which then hatch and become little snails. HOWEVER, they still mate after performing a courtship that can last anywhere from 2 to 12 hours (!!) in order to internally fertilize the eggs. Soo....this is not really aesexual reproduction?
I'm still confused.
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Gotta ask...do the hermaphrodite mollusks 'do' themselves...of do they do a battery connection with another such mollusk, like earthworms 'hook up'?
ReplyDeleteSorry, but these are questions I don't feel comfortable asking people I know who don't blog...they just don't get it. :)
hahaha Well, apparently snails actually still mate. I am still unclear why it's necessary. Further research is necessary...hmm
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