Rites of passage for juvenile marine life: learning from the life-or-death journeys of barnacle, lobster, and clam larvae.(Cover Story) From: Oceanus | Date: March 22, 2005| Author: Pineda, Jesus | COPYRIGHT 2005 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

The childhood of a barnacle is fraught with challenges. It hatches in shallow waters close to shore as a tiny larva, no bigger than a speck of dust. Currents sweep it to deeper, choppy waters, sometimes miles offshore. In these proving grounds each larva floats, at the mercy of hungry fish and swift ocean currents.

Billions of larvae--including fish, lobsters, clams, starfish, and sea cucumbers--begin life this way. Only a few survive and return to shore, where they sett...