Bryozoa

Bryozoa is a phylum of mostly aquatic invertebrates whose members usually form colonies of tiny animals called zooids. Each zooid bears a tentacle crown used to capture food.

Zooid: A single animal unit in a bryozoan colony, typically enclosed in a protective chamber. Zooids are the individual animals that make up a bryozoan colony.
Ciliated epithelium: An epithelial surface bearing motile cilia that move fluid or particles. Cilia on the lophophore generate currents that deliver food to bryozoan mouths.
Bugula neritina: A marine bryozoan species that forms branching, bushlike colonies. Its conspicuous upright colonies are a familiar example of branching bryozoan growth.
Fossil bryozoans: Fossilized remains of bryozoan colonies, abundant in many marine sedimentary rocks. Their mineralized colonies provide a long record of bryozoan diversity and distribution.
Biofouling: The unwanted accumulation of organisms on submerged surfaces and structures. Bryozoan colonies can encrust ships, pipes, aquaculture gear, and other marine surfaces.
Lophophore: A crown of ciliated tentacles surrounding the mouth in several aquatic invertebrate groups. Bryozoan zooids use this tentacle crown to collect suspended food.
Suspension feeding: Feeding by filtering or capturing food particles suspended in water. Most bryozoans obtain food by capturing particles from surrounding water.
Membranipora membranacea: A marine bryozoan that forms thin encrusting colonies on seaweeds and other surfaces. It demonstrates how bryozoans can spread as sheets across kelp blades.
Ordovician: A geological period spanning approximately 485 to 444 million years ago. Bryozoans became prominent and diverse in marine ecosystems during the Ordovician.
Invasive species: Organisms introduced beyond their native ranges that establish and cause ecological or economic effects. Some bryozoans spread through human transport and alter receiving habitats.

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