The Systematic Significance of Body Wall Formation During the Metamorphosis of Gymnolaemate Bryozoans

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Bryozoa are colonial invertebrates with a rich fossil record extending back 500 million years. Their classification has traditionally been based on the morphology of adults within the colony and on the ways in which new individuals originate and grow within the colony. Principal Investigator Reed has studied the embryological development of several modern species of byrozoa, and has found evidence that disputes the accepted classification. He proposes to investigate the embryology of species representing eight different families and two orders, and compare the resulting classification with that based on traditional characters. The proposed work would provide much-needed insight into the higher-level evolutionary relationships among bryozoa, and would provide a means of evaluating the current classification. The proposed project would also serve as a model for bridging the gap between invertebrate embryology and systematics.