Endocrine System of a Sea Cucumber
The Endocrine system of the sea cucumber is very interesting because the sea cucumber can be protandric. This means that it is able to change its gender throughout its lifetime. This also means that the glands in both males and females can develop in the sea cucumber.
Since the sea cucumber can be protandric, the pituitary gland is a very important part of the Endocrine System. It is the gland that controls other glands. It must know how to operate well in order to control both the female and male glands. For example, the ovaries and testes. Sea cucumbers also have both seminal vesicle and seminal receptacle. However, they have both of these glands for a different reason than the earthworm and others like it. The sea cucumber can be a different type of hermaphroditism than the earthworm, which means their functions for the seminal vesicle and receptacle are different than that of the earthworm. When sea cucumbers reproduce, they secrete sperm into the open ocean through the seminal vesicle and others collect it in the seminal receptacle. Then fertilization occurs.
The Endocrine system of the sea cucumber is very interesting because the sea cucumber can be protandric. This means that it is able to change its gender throughout its lifetime. This also means that the glands in both males and females can develop in the sea cucumber.
Since the sea cucumber can be protandric, the pituitary gland is a very important part of the Endocrine System. It is the gland that controls other glands. It must know how to operate well in order to control both the female and male glands. For example, the ovaries and testes. Sea cucumbers also have both seminal vesicle and seminal receptacle. However, they have both of these glands for a different reason than the earthworm and others like it. The sea cucumber can be a different type of hermaphroditism than the earthworm, which means their functions for the seminal vesicle and receptacle are different than that of the earthworm. When sea cucumbers reproduce, they secrete sperm into the open ocean through the seminal vesicle and others collect it in the seminal receptacle. Then fertilization occurs.