Phylum Bryozoa
Bryozoans are marine reef-building colonial organisms that were common in the mid-Paleozoic. They cannot tolerate harsh wave action, and typically build small branching structures.
Individual organisms in a colony are called zooids. They are part of a connected tube structure, although each zooid has an individual compartment made of calcium carbonate. They are filter feeders, using tentacles with cilia around the mouth to pull food and oxygen into the individual’s chamber. They have muscles, a nervous system and digestive tract. The colony has the ability to sexually or asexually reproduce.
Individual organisms in a colony are called zooids. They are part of a connected tube structure, although each zooid has an individual compartment made of calcium carbonate. They are filter feeders, using tentacles with cilia around the mouth to pull food and oxygen into the individual’s chamber. They have muscles, a nervous system and digestive tract. The colony has the ability to sexually or asexually reproduce.
Marine sessile benthic organisms.