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Reproduction
The oyster becames sexually mature at
about 1 year, and then always as a male. After about 3 years it can change
sex and reproduce as a female. Thereafter it can change sex back and forth
throughout its life. When reproduction takes place, the male releases
its sperm into the water, where the female sucks it in to her shell and
fertilizes the eggs. At a given time, a female can contain as many as
1 million eggs. Fertilized eggs develope within the female the first 10
days. The larvae
swim freely in the water a couple of weeks and thereby spread to other
areas. Afterwards, the larvae fall to the bottom and land on rocks, shells
or stakes. There, the oyster is known as a BROOD and is about 0,3 mm in
size.
If reproduction is to take place, salinity
is important, at least 24 parts per thousand, six weeks with a water temperature
of at least 15-16 °C and plenty of food for the adult oysters and
larvae. In Bohuslän on the Swedish west coast, this happens only
once every 5-10 years.
Life cycle of the oyster. Read the text
above.
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