Snail Larvae ( or Veliger Larvae) are known as meroplankton. This means that they are temporary plankton and spend only a portion of their life as a zooplankton. The larvae uses its oceanographic surroundings to its advantage by hitching a ride on currents to transport itself around. It does this so that it can find new food sources and find a proper place to settle and begin its metamorphic transformation into its final shape. This process also helps to distribute the larvae more evenly throughout the habitat. This way, no one area is too densely populatedThe larvae can sense food amounts in the area via a chemical reaction that is released from the food. This is how the larvae knows where to settle if given the opportunity.
Physical Influences
Snail larvae and other meroplankton are produced in very large quantities. This is because the larvae are virtually defenseless in their early life stages. The larvae then become a food source for many other zooplankton in the habitat. Luckily, only a small number of larvae need to survive to keep the species going.
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