A Comparative Study of the Pattern of Bryozoan Colony Growth

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Colony grouth pattern of a cheilostomebyozoan Membranipora serrilamella was mathematically analyzed. Some rules of zooids buddingwere revealed as follows :(1) The budding type of parent zooid does not so much infruence thebuding type of daughter zooid. This was clarified by the application of the L-systme analysis bsed on probability.(2) each zooid keeps the maximum distance betrween its own orifice and the orifices of the sorrounding zooids. This resultwas indirectly brought by the present of variation of the zooid length in a colony.(3) There are sufficient area for tentacle expansion of each zooid whether the zooid is big or small.(4) Orifices in a colonyare not arranged in closest byt closer packing. This was revealed by the result that the variation range of the area of zooid exceeds that of the area of boronoy polygon.(5) Each zooid tends to include its tentacle crown a little. This behavior makes the food intake efficiency high.All of the data obtained by the present stucy consistently tell us that the zooids of a colony of Membranipora serrilamella are reglarly arranged in order to make their food intake efficiency high. This principle for existence can be applied for the study of bryozoan evolution.