Last Update: 4 November 2017

Bryozoa Part - I
M - 48
Bryozoans are tiny colonial animals that generally build stony skeletons of calcium carbonate, superficially
similar to coral. They are also known as moss animals or sea mats. They generally prefer warm, tropical
waters but are known to occur worldwide. There are about 5,000 living species, with several times that
number of fossil forms known.

Feeding

The tentacles of the bryozoans are ciliated, and the beating of

the cilia creates a powerful current of water which drives water
together with entrained food particles (mainly phytoplankton)
towards the mouth. The gut is U-shaped, and consists of a
pharynx which passes into the esophagus, followed by the
stomach, which has three parts: the cardia, the caecum, and the
pylorus. The pylorus leads to an intestine and a short rectum
terminating at the anus, which opens outside the lophophore. In
some groups, notably some ctenostomes, a specialized gizzard
may be formed from the proximal part of the cardia. Gut and
lophophore are the principal components of the polypide.
Cyclical degeneration and regeneration of the polypide is
characteristic of marine bryozoans. After the final polypide
degeneration, the skeletal aperture of the feeding zooid may
become sealed by the secretion of a terminal diaphragm. In
many bryozoans only the zooids within a few generations of the
growing edge are in an
actively feeding state;
older, more proximal
zooids (e.g. in the interiors Fig. An individual of a colonial
of bushy colonies) are bryozoan with a retracted lophophore.
usually dormant.

Mechanism
Lophophorates (Bryozoa) are groups of organisms bearing a specialised
structure called lophophore, which consist a funnel like structure
enclosed by varying numbers of tentacles at anterior end of their body.
This specialized for food capturing habit due to their following habits.
(1) Sessile, colonial, benthic organism.
(2) Microphagus.
(3) Feeding depends on environmental condition
(4) Takes food without production of mucous.

Protrusion of lophophore :
a) During feeding the lophophore expands into funnel
shaped structure, due to the expansion of tentacles from
their base.
-1-
 b) In the proximal part, the contraction of 2-bands of transverse parietal muscles pull the ventral
and dorsal walls of the flexible zooids.
c) This contraction reduces the coelomic volume. As a result the internal hydrostatic pressure
increases.
d) The contraction of transverse paired muscle is followed by the relaxation of longitudinal
parietal muscle and retractor muscle.

Because the coelomic fluid is essentially incompressible, this muscular contraction increases the
pressure within the metacoel. As the sephin between metacoel & mesocoel is incomplete. This causes entry
of coelomic fluid from meta to mesocoel of lophophore. If inflates the lophophore tentacles and increases
the hydrostatic pressure within the metacoel as well. Once the orifice diaphragm is opened by contraction by
specialized dialator muscles the lophore enforced out.

(Contraction of transverse paired

muscle Raises the pressure still
further.)
(Further) Relaxation of retractor
muscle permits the tentacles to
raise out side, (Through the
collar). Retractor muscle
extending from the body wall to
lophophore bring the lophophore
back within the zooceium.
Then the tentacles
are spread by the
action of their
intrinsic
musculature.
Production of feeding
current :
When the lophophore is
protruded (expanded), the
lateral ciliated tracts of
tentacles create a water
current that sweeps
downward into the funnel
and passes outward between
the tentacles.
Small phytoplanktonic
particles are driven into the
funnel with the water current.
When these food particles
comes in contact with lateral
cilia, these are back into the
upstream site by the reversal
beat of local lateral cilia.
Then down towards the
mouth. This is called cilliary
upstream collecting system.
[By the action of lateral cilia
the food particles are
collected by means of cilliary
upstream collecting system.]
Food collection :
-2-
 Different hypotheses have been put forth to explain food capturing mechanism.

Hypotheses for feeding

(A) Impingement feeding hypothesis:

Outward and downward beating of lateral cilia exhibit metachronal waves, which passes up the left
side of the tentacle and down the right side. As a result water enters the anterior part and passes outward
between the tentacle. As a result some of the suspended particle carried away by out flowing water. But an
adequate proportion is directed straight to the mouth by the action of frontal cilia.

(B) Ciliary reversal

hypothesis:
The ciliary beating
produce a current on inner side.
Particles may swept, or
may retained by the local
reversal action of cilia, making
a balance.
Now by the inward
flicking of the tentacles particles
get entry into the mouth .
[Now it is fact that the
(component of) the current
towards the base of the
lophophore is greater than the
centre of the lophophore. This
phenomenon facilitate the
mentioned mechanism.]

(C) Rejection of unwanted

particle:
Unwanted particles may
be prevented from reaching the
month by joint action of
tentacles and closure of the
mouth.
As a result the particles
(unwanted) carried away by the
out flowing water. Some times
ciliary reversal also eject the unwanted particles from the pharynx. However in some cares (Bugula
neritima) there is a definite ciliary rejection tract.
Passage of food particles from mouth to other part of digestive can as signifies the end of food
capturing process.

(D) Ingestion :
The lateral cilia usually produce the main water current and frontal cilia directs food towards the
mouth.
This effect is enhanced by the beating of cilia inside the pharynx. Which at a siphon pump for large
food particles. So that, the smaller particles are drawn into (get entrance) the mouth. Sometime larger
particles also ingested by sudden dilation of lower portion of the pharynx. (caused by myofibrils). Thus it
acts as a sucking pump or suction pump.
Once inside the pharynx, the cilia in the buccal region prevent particles from escaping.

-3-
Remarks :
There is no evidence that mucus play any role in feeding. No secretary cells have been identified on
the tentacles. However Smith (1973) reported that the tentacles are coated with mucous layer in some
species.

(E) Withdraw of lophophore:

(1) Withdraw of lophophore is achieved by repaid contraction of retractor muscles. Transverse
parietal muscles are relaxed during this.
(2) In the later stages the retraction is accompanied by the sequential contraction of the 2 sets of
longitudinal parietal muscle.
(3) Finally after with draw of tentacles, the circular muscles of the sphincter close the zooid from the
exterior.

-4-