Figure - PMC

Skip to main content

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

View full-text article in PMC

. 2018 Aug 6;9:439. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2018.00439

Search in PMC
Search in PubMed
View in NLM Catalog
Add to search

Copyright © 2018 Taylor and Heyland.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

PMC Copyright notice

Sea urchin indirect life history. Major stages of the indirect life cycle of S. purpuratus during which skeletogenesis occurs. Post-hatching, the embryo grows larval arms, becoming a free-swimming pluteus larva. The pluteus feeds on plankton in the water column, accumulating resources for metamorphosis. Prior to attaining metamorphic competence, the larva grows a juvenile rudiment with skeletal structures necessary for survival as a juvenile, including adult spines and tube feet. Also pictured is the metamorphosed juvenile, and the adult sea urchin.