Question

Euplectella becomes a precious ornamental gift if it contains-
A. A pearl
B. A gem
C. Remains of shrimp pair
D. Coral

Answer 1

Euplectella is also known as Venus flower basket. It is a glass sponge in the phylum Porifera. They reproduce by asexual reproduction. It acts as a symbol of love in Japan, where the skeletons of these sponges are presented as a gift to a married couple.

Complete answer:
Euplectella belongs to the phylum Porifera. It is a glass sponge belonging to the class Hexactinellida. They build their skeletons out of silica, and do not require heat to form their glass lattices, which in some ways makes their properties superior to manufactured fiber optics.
Like other sponges, they feed by filtering seawater to capture plankton.
Sponges are found to have glass sponge shrimp, who are unable to leave the sponge lattice due to their size. The shrimp have a symbiotic relationship with the sponge until they die.
This is an example of union till death and the dried and dead sponge is given as a wedding gift in Japan to symbolize the love of 'till death do us part'.

Hence, because of the presence of remains of shrimp pair, Euplectella becomes a precious ornamental gift. So, the correct answer is Option (C).

Additional information-
As the shrimp is unable to leave the sponge, they maintain a symbiotic relationship. The shrimps' breed and their offspring escape finding a new sponge for them. The shrimps clean the sponge from inside and in return, get food and shelter. The shrimps live, breed inside the sponge until they die.

Note: Eucleptella has a siliceous structure. There are many applications of this glass sponge. The glassy fibers are used by fiber optic researchers. The sponge extracts silicic acid from seawater and it further converts into silica, which further has numerous applications.
As they have complex configurations they are studied for their stiffness and yield strength. It is speculated that these sponges have a property known as bioluminescence.