Most appropriate term to describe the life cycle of Obelia is (a) metamorphosis (b) neoteny (c) metagenesis (d) all of these
Option C Obelia belongs to the Phylum Coelenterata. In Obelia, lifecycle includes two clearly defined phases : a fixed polypoid phase (hydroid colony) and a pelagic medusoid phase. Hydroid colony has no gonads and reproduces by asexual budding to give rise to medusae. On the other hand, medusae reproduce exclusively by sexual method (ova and sperms) to give rise to new hydroid colonies. This fact apparently seems to have given rise to the idea of alternation of generations, also called metagenesis.
