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Bryozoa
Bryozoa (moss-animals) Phylum of small, aquatic, colonial animals, related to the Brachiopoda; many colonies possess a well-developed, calcite skeleton which comprises microscopic, box-like divisions, each housing an individual animal possessing ciliated tentacles and a coelom. Food is collected by the tentacles which surround the mouth and are borne on a ridge called the ‘lophophore’. Reproduction takes place by (a) asexual budding, and (b) the release of larvae which give rise to new colonies. There is a possible bryozoan fossil from the Late Cambrian, and bryozoans have occurred abundantly from the Ordovician to the present day. Branched colonies are common fossils in some rocks. They were important reef builders and binders in the Phanerozoic, and underwent several great radiations. See ECTOPROCTA
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AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Bryozoa.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Bryozoa.html |
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Bryozoa
Bryozoa (Ectoprocta; moss-animals) A phylum of small, aquatic, colonial animals, related to the Brachiopoda, many of which possess a well-developed, calcite skeleton which comprises microscopic, box-like divisions each housing an individual animal possessing ciliated tentacles and a coelom. Food is collected by the tentacles which surround the mouth and are borne on the lophophore. Reproduction takes place by asexual budding, and by the release of larvae which give rise to new colonies. Bryozoans have occurred from the Ordovician to the present day. Fossilized branched colonies are common in some rocks. They were important reef builders in the Phanerozoic, and underwent several great adaptive radiations.
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Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Bryozoa.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Bryozoa.html |
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Bryozoa
Bryozoa(Ectoprocta; moss animals) A phylum of small, aquatic, colonial animals, related to the brachiopods, many of which possess a well-developed, calcite skeleton which comprises microscopic, box-like divisions, each housing an individual animal possessing ciliated tentacles and a body cavity (coelom). Food is collected by the tentacles which surround the mouth. Reproduction takes place by asexual budding and by the release of larvae which give rise to new colonies. Bryozoans have occurred from the Ordovician to the present day. Fossilized branched colonies are common in some rocks. They were important reef-builders in the Phanerozoic, and underwent several great adaptive radiations.
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Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-Bryozoa.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-Bryozoa.html |
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Bryozoa
Bryozoa (Ectoprocta) A phylum of aquatic, mainly marine, invertebrates comprising the moss animals and sea mats. Bryozoans live in colonies, 50 cm or more across, which are attached to rocks, seaweeds, or shells. The individuals (zooids) making up the colonies are about 1 mm long and superficially resemble cnidarian polyps, with a mouth surrounded by ciliated tentacles of the lophophore that trap minute particles of organic matter in the water. Some have a horny or calcareous outer skeleton into which the body can be withdrawn. Compare Entoprocta.
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"Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-Bryozoa.html "Bryozoa." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-Bryozoa.html |
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Bryozoa
Bryozoa , name of a phylum, in older systems of classification, that included the invertebrate animals now classified in the phyla Entoprocta and Ectoprocta . The term bryozoan (or moss animal) is still commonly used for members of the Ectoprocta. |
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Cite this article
"Bryozoa." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Bryozoa." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Bryozoa.html "Bryozoa." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Bryozoa.html |
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Bryozoa
Bry·o·zo·a / ˌbrīəˈzōə/ Zool. a phylum of sedentary aquatic invertebrates that comprises the moss animals. DERIVATIVES: bry·o·zo·an n. & adj. |
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"Bryozoa." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Bryozoa." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bryozoa.html "Bryozoa." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bryozoa.html |
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