Marine Bryozoa

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Abstract
The Bryozoa have been well represented in the seas of the world through all of the geological periods as far back as the Ordovician and their calcareous skeletons have contributed largely to various strata. Recent species occur everywhere in salt water, from the icy polar regions to the tropics and from the shore line to great oceanic depths. In spite of their abundance and almost constant occurrence their ecology, as such, has been given little attention. Taxonomic papers however, afford a wealth of information on geographic and bathymetric distribution and character of the sea bottom, and to a lesser extent on their association with other organisms. In shorewise ecological studies the Bryozoa are sometimes mentioned along with other organisms, and in such papers may be found data on temperature, salinity, and other environmental factors. As practically all of the bryozoan species are sessile, whether encrusting or erect, they naturally require some basis for attachment, such as rocky, pebbly, or shelly bottoms. Ordinarily they show little “choice” of a substratum and any object that is sufficiently firm and clean will serve. Marine algae, other bryozoan colonies, hydroid stems, the shells of living molluscs, and the carapaces and appendages of crustaceans are often heavily encrusted, and on boat bottoms they are a first class nuisance as fouling organisms. Geographical distribution. They occur everywhere in salt water, except on smooth sand and mud bottoms where means of attachment is wanting, and in estuarine areas where the salinity is too low. The numbers, both...

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