Abstract
The marine hydrozoan Hydractinia echinata Fleming, 1828 develops through a demersal planula larval stage. Recent work on the induction of metamorphosis of the planula has contributed greatly to understanding of the role of cell communication by signals, signal transmission, and signal transduction during metamorphosis of marine invertebrates. The purpose of this paper is to survey what is known about the natural induction of metamorphosis and to provide information on the biochemical and cellular mechanisms underlying the metamorphic events in H. echinata. A critical look at the effect of inhibitors is given, in conjunction with an hypothesis about the sequence of early events in metamorphosis.
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