Bryozoan zooid size variation across a bathymetric gradient: a case study from the Icelandic shelf and continental slope.

ABSTRACT: Body size is one of the most important biological characters, as it defines many aspects of organismal functioning at the individual and community level. As body size controls many ecological aspects of species, it is often used as a proxy for the status of the ecosystem. So far no consistent mechanism driving size shift has been proposed. In this study, we investigated bathymetric variability in zooid's size and shape in aquatic colonial animals, Bryozoa. Although the response of bryozoan zooid size to temperature or food concentration has been experimentally proven, the effects of natural environmental variability on marine bryozoan populations has been much less explored. The presented investigation is aimed to assess the bathymetric patterns and environmental drivers of bryozoan zooid

SUBMITTER: Stepien A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5589789 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature