Phylogeny and Morphometry in the Cenozoic Bryozoan Adeonellopsis

唇口苔藓虫是殖民海洋无脊椎动物， 是后古生代海洋的常见组成部分 个人 构成殖民地的息肉能够分化 分成几个不同的“异形体”，每一个都有一个 有益于殖民地的独特功能（例如，防止 竞争对手）。 生物学家倾向于依赖 个体动物的特征（其中息肉 居住）在区分物种和构建 分类。 斯科特·利德加德博士提出了一项研究， 动物体和菌落水平的特征，以建立 它们的相对价值在于 唇口动物化石的一个属。 利德加德医生会用最多的 基于计算机的图像分析的当前技术， 系统发育重建 这项研究的意义超出了 对苔藓虫分类感兴趣的古生物学家。 重点 对群落级组织的研究与植物学家有关， 无脊椎动物学家对珊瑚、海绵和其他 殖民集团。 这项研究的结果将表明， 群体层面的整合是否对 这些群体的进化史， 对它们进行了研究。

Cheilostome bryozoans are colonial marine invertebrates that are a common constituent of post-Paleozoic seas. The individual polyps that comprise the colony are capable of differentiating into several different "heteromorphs", each of which serves a distinct function that benefits the colony (e.g., protection from encrusting competitors). Biologists have tended to rely on the characteristics of individual zooids (within which polyps reside) in distinguishing species and constructing classifications. Dr. Scott Lidgard proposes a study of both zooid- and colony-level features, for the purpose of establishing their relative value in unravelling evolutionary relationships in a genus of fossil cheilostomes. Dr. Lidgard will use the most current techniques of computer-based image analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction. The proposed research has implications beyond paleontologists interested in bryozoan classification. The focus on colony-level organization is relevant to botanists and invertebrate zoologists interested in corals, sponges, and other colonial groups. The results of this study will suggest whether or not the colony-level of integration has a significant effect on the evolutionary history of these groups, and on the way research is conducted on them.