Article: Zooid and colony growth in encrusting cheilostome bryozoans

An initial comparison of growth patterns of encrusting cheilostome bryozoans reveals that the ways by which zooids and colonies grow are often important determinants of the comparative success of different species and colony forms among different habitats. These patterns appear to have changed in a major evolutionary trend, increasing morphological and taxonomic diversity, and causing the appearance of more versatile and more highly integrated modes of growth through time. The growth of colonies in encrusting cheilostomes can be regarded in terms of different processes and geometries of zooid budding. I present here a model of growth based on bud expansion, partitioning, and position. The model permits reconstruction and comparison of different modes of growth in both living and fossil colonies.