BRYOZOAN Meaning and
Definition
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A bryozoan refers to a small aquatic invertebrate animal belonging to the phylum Bryozoa, also known as moss animals. These marine organisms are often colonial, existing in large aggregations or colonies made up of numerous individual zooids, which are small, specialized units of the animal. Each zooid is encased in a hard exoskeleton called a zoarium, usually made of calcium carbonate.
Bryozoans are filter feeders, using small hair-like structures called cilia to create water currents that bring in tiny food particles. They mainly feed on plankton, detritus, and other organic matter present in the water. Most bryozoans are sessile, meaning they are permanently attached to a substrate like rocks, shells, or algae. However, some species are capable of limited movement by extending or retracting their tentacle-like feeding structures called lophophores.
These invertebrates come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with some resembling branching or encrusting formations, while others have more complex, lace-like structures. Due to their colonial nature, bryozoans can create extensive colonies that contribute to the formation of biological reefs. They are often found in marine environments worldwide, although they can also inhabit freshwater ecosystems.
Bryozoans play crucial ecological roles in their habitat by providing shelter, food, and substrate for other organisms. They are also valuable indicators of water quality as their presence and abundance can indicate the health of an aquatic ecosystem.
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Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
Common Misspellings for BRYOZOAN
- vryozoan
- nryozoan
- hryozoan
- gryozoan
- beyozoan
- bdyozoan
- bfyozoan
- btyozoan
- b5yozoan
- b4yozoan
- brtozoan
- brgozoan
- brhozoan
- bruozoan
- br7ozoan
- br6ozoan
- bryizoan
- brykzoan
- brylzoan
- bryozoian
Etymology of BRYOZOAN
The word "bryozoan" has its etymology rooted in Greek. It is derived from the combination of two Greek words: "bryon" meaning "moss" or "liverwort" and "zoa" meaning "animals".
The term was coined in the early 19th century by the Scottish naturalist and geologist Robert Edmond Grant. Grant used the term to describe a group of sessile, filter-feeding marine invertebrates that have a superficially moss-like appearance. The name "bryozoan" was chosen due to the resemblance of their colonies to a moss or a liverwort.
Similar spelling words for BRYOZOAN
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