Bryozoa-workshop at Espegrend | The Invertebrate Collections

February 14^th -18^th 2022

The Bryozoa are perhaps not probably the most well-known of animals, so let’s begin with a fast rundown: Bryozoa, also called Polyzoa, Ectoprocta, or moss animals (mosdyr, på norsk) are a phylum of aquatic invertebrates. Bryozoans, along with phoronids and brachiopods, have a particular feeding construction referred to as a lophophore, a “crown” of hole tentacles used for filter feeding, which you’ll be able to see in motion within the video Tine captured:

In Norway we now have 292 species registered, of which 281 are marine (Kunnskapsstatus for artsmangfoldet 2020, pdf right here). It’s estimated that the precise variety of species current is larger. Additional, a number of recognized species are thought of “door knocker species” which will set up right here inside the subsequent 50 years.

Bryozoa largely dwell in colonies made up of tiny particular person animals referred to as zooids, which develop in quite a lot of shapes, and a few of them present structural habitats for different species. They’re meals for a lot of different animals, particularly nudibranchs, fish, sea urchins, pycnogonids, crustaceans, mites and starfish. Marine bryozoans are sometimes accountable for biofouling on ships’ hulls, on docks and marinas, and on offshore constructions. They’re among the many first colonizers of recent or not too long ago cleaned constructions, and will hitchhike to new locations with marine site visitors. (Bonus: they’ve an excellent fascinating fossil report, and this can be utilized to inform us extra concerning the world in the best way again!)

They’re one of many focus teams of Hardbunnsfauna: there may be nonetheless rather a lot we have no idea about them!

Planning in a pandemic will not be simple, and we now have needed to postpone our plans for this gathering a number of occasions. The second week of February we may lastly collect our “Crew Bryozoa” right here in Bergen for per week of in-depth research of those fascinating animals.

In whole we have been 11 individuals;
College Museum of Bergen: Endre, Jon, Tom and Katrine,
Pure Historical past Museum in Oslo: Lee Hsiang and Mali,
NTNU College Museum: Torkild, Tine (MSc. scholar) and Tiril (MSc. scholar),
and our two guests from overseas:
from the Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences got here Piotr,
and from the Heriot Watt College (Orkney Campus), Joanne.

The primary focus of the workshop was to get as many samples and species as doable recognized, work although the DNA barcode vouchers from samples submitted upfront and attain a consensus on which species the doubtful ones have been, to community with our colleagues, and to incorporate the scholars within the work and the staff. All of it went swimmingly, and a we had a really productive and gratifying week!

 

We arrange camp on Espegrend Marine Organic station, and mixed lengthy days within the lab finding out materials collected all through the mission with shorter journeys out on R/V Hans Brattstrøm.

Right here we collected dwell colonies, launched the scholars to numerous amassing strategies, and let everybody catch some contemporary fjord air.

 

 

 

Tine is doing her grasp thesis on the species distribution of Bryozoa in shallow water alongside the Norwegian coast.

In the course of the workshop she bought the prospect to have a number of the tough species identifications verified by the specialists,  and he or she ready a plate of 95 tissue samples that will probably be DNA barcoded although NorBOL.

 

 

 

We additionally had Tiril with us, who’s simply beginning out on what is going to turn into a thesis on ascidians (sea squirts), more than likely with a deal with species within the genus Botryllus and Botrylloides. 

She labored along with Tom, getting conversant in the literature and the strategies used for engaged on the group. Like Tine, she will probably be utilizing a mixture of conventional morphology primarily based strategies and genetic knowledge.

 

Going ahead we’ll first ship the plate of tissue samples to CCDB to be sequenced, fingers crossed for good outcomes! In the course of the week, *so many* samples have been recognized, so we will definitely be making ready extra plates through the spring. All of the recognized samples will probably be included into the scientific collections of the museum.

Thanks a lot to all of the individuals for his or her efforts!

-Katrine