Question

Euplectella is a symbol of union till death because
A. Its basal root tuft and upper part symbolize the two sexes
B. Its lives in a commensal relationship with certain shrimps
C. It symbolises the goddess of marriage
D. It contains a sieve plate in the osculum region

Answer 1

Hint: Eupllectella is a glass sponge, present in the phylum Porifera. It is a type of marine sponge located in deep waters in the Pacific Ocean. There skeletons are formed of silica. They feed themselves through filtering the sea water by capturing plankton.

Complete answer:
A species of Euplectella is also called Venus flower basket, this glass type sponge is present in the class Hexactinellida. The particular species is named as Euplectella aspergillum which belongs to the family Euplectellidae.

In this sponge, a young pair of shrimp enters, and they grow inside, but after their growth they are unable to escape or exit the sponge. As a result, the shrimp breeds inside the sponge and the young shrimps so produced, could easily escape the sponge and then they find another sponge for them. This cycle continues, and the shrimp dies inside the sponge only as they cannot escape it for their lifetime. Hence, there is a symbiotic relationship between the shrimps and the sponge that literally depicts their union till the death of the shrimps.

In japan, the dead and dried sponge is used as an auspicious wedding gift that symbolizes the love of the marrying partners to each other until death takes them apart. Therefore, it can be concluded that Euplectella is a symbol of union till death because it lives in a commensal relationship with some shrimps.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Commensal relationship is a type of relationship present between the two living organisms, in which one of the organisms gets benefited but without harming the other one. A commensal species gets benefited through the other species in various ways like for, food, shelter, support, and locomotion.