Question

Hydra reproduces by
A) Fertilization
B) Metamorphosis
C) Embedding
D) Budding

Answer 1

Hint:Hydra is a freshwater organism belonging to phylum Cnidaria. They are multicellular and reproduce asexually. The body of hydra is thin and tubular and is capable of performing great contractions.

Complete answer:
Hydra reproduce asexually by the method of Budding.
i) A bud develops at the basal end of an adult Hydra by mitotic divisions.
ii) Mouth and Tentacles develop on bud by cell differentiation.
iii) The bud constricts at the base as it gets fully developed.
iv) Detachment of the bud from the parent takes place.
v) A new and independent Hydra is formed.

Let us analyse the options to find the correct answer.
>Option A: Fertilization is the fusion of two haploid gametes to form a diploid zygote. There are no gametes involved and no zygote is formed in Hydra. Hence, this is an incorrect option.
>Option B: Metamorphosis is a profound change in the life history of an organism as it moves from one stage to another. Examples include Butterfly and Frog. Hence, this is an incorrect option.
>Option C: Embedding is not seen in Hydra and hence this is an irrelevant and incorrect option.
>Option D: Budding is the most common method of reproduction seen in Hydra under favorable environmental conditions. Hence, this is the correct option.

Additional information:
-Budding requires only one parent.
-Offspring is identical to the parent i;e its a clone.
-Hydra has a tubular body.

Thus, the correct answer is option (D) Budding.

Note:A bud is an outgrowth from an organism like Hydra which is capable of giving rise to a complete new individual. Amoeba also reproduces via this method.