Global diversity patterns and macroevolution of Palaeostomata (Bryozoa)

古口虫是一种几乎完全局限于古生代的苔藓动物，本研究旨在研究古口虫的全球宏观进化模式。这些动物在古生代的海洋生物群落中非常重要，它们经常产生珊瑚礁和形成沉积物。旨在揭示280 Ma地球历史上苔藓虫的宏观进化模式，并确定苔藓虫宏观进化与生物和非生物生态因子之间的联系。在项目过程中，将编制古口蝇种属的时间分布及其形态数据。将对多样性模式进行评估，以概述辐射和灭绝事件（进化成功）。根据本人近二十年来的研究活动和对古生代苔藓虫的大量资料的研究，将确定古口虫形态学的进化趋势（关键新特征）（如生长形式、摄食、繁殖和保护结构等）。这些数据将根据生态因素（海平面、温度、初级产量、捕食者压力等）进行校准。一个重要的问题是，这些趋势/新奇与进化的成功有关。关于苔藓虫形态的数据集将检查可能的收敛性和并行性。计划研究的主要假设是苔藓虫的分类多样性及其动态与关键新颖性的进化有关。关键创新的触发因素显然是生态（气候变化、食物供应、捕食者压力等）。考虑到已知的全球事件，将苔藓虫的结果与其他类群进行比较，并用于检测苔藓虫与相互作用生物共同进化的可能模式。

The proposed research intends to study global macroevolutionary patterns in the Palaeostomata, a group of bryozoans almost completely restricted to the Palaeozoic. These animals were exceptionally important in marine biotopes of the Palaeozoic time, being often reef-producing and sediment-forming. A series of questions are targeted to reveal macroevolutionary patterns of bryozoans within the span of 280 Ma of the Earth history, and to determine links between the bryozoan macroevolution and biotic and abiotic ecological factors. In the course of the project data on temporal distribution of species and genera of the Palaeostomata as well as their morphology will be compiled. The diversity patterns will be evaluated in order to outline radiation and extinction events (evolutionary success). On the base of own research activity during the past two decades and study of an extensive material on Palaeozoic bryozoans, evolutionary trends (key novelties) in morphology of Palaeostomata (e.g., growth form, feeding, reproductive and protective structures, etc.) will be identified. These data will be calibrated with ecological factors (sea level, temperature, primary production, predator stress, etc.). An important question is which of these tendencies/novelties are associated with evolutionary success. The data set on bryozoan morphology will be checked for possible convergences and parallelisms. The main hypothesis of the planned research suggests that taxonomic diversity of bryozoans and its dynamics were correlated with evolution of key novelties. The trigger for the key innovations was apparently ecology (climatic changes, food supply, predator press, etc.). Results on bryozoans will be compared with other groups considering the known global events as well as used for detection of possible patterns of the co-evolution of bryozoans with interacting organisms.