The invisible world
It's Easter every day in Micropia! Countless species lay eggs or something similar. From a few enormous specimens, to bulky bags full of small eggs. Go on an egg hunt and discover an immense diversity of minuscule (Easter) eggs.
Using its two long arms, the copepod (Cyclops strenuus) rows through the water at 5,500 micrometers per second. In human standards more than 16 km/h! During its reproductive period, however, it sometimes goes a bit slower. Females then have a considerable burden to carry: two large bags of eggs, containing 31-66 eggs per bag, hang from her rowboat like clumsy buoys.
The water bear also lays eggs. But the more than 1,000 species of water bears do this in different ways. While many species have males fertilize the eggs, there are species in which the females lay eggs using only their own genetic material. This is called parthenogenesis. Laying the eggs in their old molt keeps them safe from predators and gives the newborn water bears time to regain strength before waddling into the big micro-world.
Bacteria do not reproduce through eggs. They do this simply by dividing themselves in two. Still, some species do use a type of egg to survive extreme conditions: endospores. When living conditions deteriorate, they form an extremely resilient structure in their cell. This is a type of dormant daughter cell that can survive conditions such as strong UV rays, heat and disinfectants.
Nematodes, or roundworms, are the most common creatures on Earth. And so there are a lot of roundworm eggs. Most are laid in the soil, but the species Mermis nigrescens lays its eggs on plant leaves. Here they are eaten by herbivorous insects. Once inside the insect, the eggs hatch and the larvae begin to eat the insect from the inside.
