Editing Veliger (section)

== Life cycle ==
Veligers hatch from egg capsules or develop from an earlier, free-swimming [[trochophore]] larval stage. In those species where the veliger hatches from an egg capsule, it will pass through the trochophore stage while in the egg capsule.

Veligers mature to a point called "competence" where they settle to the substratum and metamorphose to become the juvenile stage. During metamorphosis they lose their velum, and undergo external and internal changes that produce the [[Juvenile (organism)|juvenile]].

Feeding or non-feeding veligers are possible, depending on which species has produced them. In a feeding veliger, the newly hatched larval stage is, in most cases, relatively "undeveloped" and must feed on [[phytoplankton]] for weeks to months to develop to the point where it can metamorphose. During the larval period, the veliger grows and develops the organ systems needed for the benthic life of a juvenile. "Non-feeding" veligers use yolk stored in the egg as an energy source for development. In such cases, the organ systems necessary for juvenile life develop either during the embryonic period and/or during a usually brief larval stage. Non-feeding veliger larvae are generally thought to metamorphose to the juvenile stage relatively quickly; however, in some cases such larvae can feed secondarily and thus have the potential to persist in the plankton for long periods.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal | doi = 10.2307/1541392 | first = S.C. | last = Kempf |author2=Hadfield, M.G.  | year = 1985 | title = Planktotrophy by the lecithotrophic larvae of a nudibranch, Phestilla sibogae (Gastropoda)| journal = [[The Biological Bulletin]] | volume = 169 | issue = 1 | pages = 119–130 | jstor = 1541392}}</ref>

Metamorphosis of feeding and non-feeding competent larvae is usually induced by a chemical cue characteristic of the proper habitat for the juvenile. In gastropods, this chemical cue is often a substance produced by the juvenile or adult food source. In bivalves, the chemical cue may be produced by bacteria specific to the type of [[biofilm]] growing in the adult habitat. As a result of this inductive response the veliger will metamorphose in a habitat where it can successfully feed and grow to adulthood.