The three phyla - Ectoprocta, Brachiopoda, and Phoronida - share characteristics such as possessing a lophophore or horseshoe-shaped tentacles for filter feeding, a U-shaped digestive system with the anus outside the lophophore, and being mostly sessile. Ectoprocta are small colonial organisms that secrete exoskeletons and reproduce both sexually and asexually. Brachiopoda are solitary organisms with two-valved shells that were once abundant but now only a few species remain. Phoronida are worm-like organisms that secrete tubes and have elaborate tentacles.

1. The Lophophorate
Phyla
Ectoprocta
Brachiopoda
Phoronida
By: Arnaiz, Martin Jr.
A

2. three phyla share several distinctive characteristics:
1. all possess a horseshoe-shaped or circular set
of hollow ciliated tentacles for filter feeding
! = lophophore
2. a “U-shaped” digestive system in which the
anus opens OUTSIDE the lophophore
also
3. nearly every member is sessile
4. poorly developed head
5. secretes a protective shell or flexible casing

3. Phylum Ectoprocta
(bryozoa; moss animals)
Etymology:- From the Greek Bryon
for moss and Zoon for animal.
Etymology:- From the Greek Ektos
for outside and Proktos for anus.
means “outside anus” an old name = “fairy lace”
The reference is to the anus located outside of the ring
of ciliated tentacles (lophophores). The name was
coined by (Nitsche 1869), but they are also known as
Bryozoa (Ehrenberg 1831) and Polyzoa (Thompson
1830).

4. Fossil Record:
~4500 living species; 16,000 fossils. rich fossil record
all are aquatic; marine or freshwaters especially in shallow waters.
The Bryozoa are the only animal phylum with an extensive fossil
record that does not appear in Cambrian or late Precambrian
rocks. The oldest known fossil bryozoans, including representatives
of both major marine groups, the Stenolaemata (tubular
bryozoans) and Gymnolaemata (boxlike bryozoans), appear in the
Early Ordovician. It is plausible that the Bryozoa existed in the
Cambrian but were soft-bodied or not preserved for some other
reason; perhaps they evolved from a phoronid -like ancestor at
about this time.

5. sessile; can be found on almost any hard surface:
sea weeds, shells, rocks, even bottom of icebergs
almost all are colonial
each colony consists of individual zooids ~ .5mm long
colony may be >1 M long; most are smaller
colonies can be encrusting, arboreal or gelatinous
balls

6. Body Form
each zooid lives in a tiny chamber that it secretes
= an exoskeleton
->gelatinous, chitinous or hardened with calcium or sand
often with trapdoor = operculum
tentacles (= lophophore) used for feeding and may play role in
respiration
most zooids in most colonies are feeding zooids
some colonies contain other kinds of zooids:
a. zooids with “bird beaks”
-protects colony from invaders
b. zooids with long bristles
-sweep foreign material away from colony

7. Body Wall
outer casing (exoskeleton) = zoecium
made of chitin and calcium deposits
one area of the zoecium has a thinner flexible
membrane embedded
interior of body with large coelom
coelom extends into lophophore

8. Feeding and Digestion
 Digestive tract
 Gonads
 Retractor muscle
 Outer covering
ciliated tentacles draw water across to trap food
mouth is at center of lophophore
material trapped in tentacles is passed to mouth
by ciliary movement and by pumping action of
pharynx
from mouth food passes into a “U-shaped”
digestive tract consisting of stomach which may
have a gizzard and the intestine
waste material passes through intestine to anus
(outside the ring of tentacles)
no respiratory or excretory organs or vascular
system gasses are exchanged through body
surface especially the tentacles

9. Reproduction: Asexual
 colonies produced by budding of a single larva which settles
and attaches to substrate
 freshwater forms also reproduce asexually by special resistant
bodies = statoblasts
disc shaped
germinative cells enclosed in tough capsule
very resistant to drying
 statoblasts form during summer and fall in winter, colony dies,
statoblasts remain
may fall to bottom or some float
 statoblasts remain dormant until spring or favorable conditions
appear
 then can regenerate a new colony

10. Reproduction: Sexual
 most are monoecious
-may have eggs and sperm produced
simultaneously
 most bryozoa brood their eggs externally or in
body cavity
 some shed eggs into water
 larvae of some show polyembryony
in which a single larva proliferates into several
larvae
 larvae swim for a few months before settling

11. Economic Importance:
1. fossil bryozoa used extensively by petroleum companies as
indicator fossils to find oil deposits
2. over 17 antitumor chemicals have been extracted from various
species
3. since they grow on hard surfaces
-sometimes cause fouling of ship hulls and pilings
4. pharmaceuticals
potent anticancer chemicals
5. As filter feeders, bryozoans filter and recirculate water. It has
been estimated that a colony of Zoobotryon verticillatum approxi-
mately 1 m^2 in size has the potential to filter up to 48,600 gallons
of seawater per year.

12. Phylum Brachiopoda
(Lamp Shells)
The word "brachiopod" is formed
from the Ancient Greek words
βραχίων ("arm") and πούς ("foot").
They are often known as "lamp
shells", since the curved shells of
the class Terebratulida look rather
like pottery oil-lamps

13. Fossil Record
The bars indicate how
many different kinds
of brachiopod fossils
that have been found
by paleontologists
during each time
period.

14. 335 living species; 30,000 fossils
filter feeders with hard protective
shell
some resemble ancient roman
lamp
mostly, sessile, bottom dwelling
animals (benthos)
not colonial like other
lophophorates
most prefer shallow waters; a few
deeper forms
most live attached to rocks or firm
substrate
some (eg. Lingula) live in
verticlal burrows in sand
and mud bottoms
Lingula, the shell is about 3 cm long. (A)
Dorsal view (B) the brachiopod at the top
of its burrow attached to the bottom by a
long pedicle

15. also an ancient group with extensive fossil record flourished in
palaeozoic seas
were one of the dominant phyla after the Cambrian explosion
- had hard protective shell as the number of predators were
increasing
most died out in great Permian extinction
only 1% of species alive today
one genus, Lingula, alive today, dates back to Ordovician (450MY
ago)
-may be oldest “living fossil”
modern forms are usually 5 - 80 mm some fossils up to 30 cm
most live specimens are dull yellow or gray a few are orange or red

16. resemble bivalve molluscs
-untill mid 1800’s was classified
with them have calcareous shell
and mantle
but resemblance is only
superficial:
>the two valves are dorsal/ventral
>ventral valve is typically larger
>promonant lophophore as
feeding organ
>most are attached to substrate by
thick pedicel on ventral valve

17. Shell shell is secreted by mantle
the smaller dorsal valve fits over
larger ventral valve
valves may be ornamented with
growth lines, fluting,
ridges, spines
has hole for pedicel
pedicel attaches animal to
substrate is long, fluid filled
muscular in some; not muscular in
others
a few species have completely
lost pedicel

18. Mantle
secretes shell
often bears long
chitinous setae
may be for
defense

19. Feeding and Digestion
brachiopods are filter feeders like
other
lophophorates
Most of the body is in the posterior
part of shell while
lophophore fills anterior
tentacles of lophophore capture food
collected by ciliary water currents
ciliated groove brings food to mouth
ciliated groove brings food to mouth
feed on algae and organic detritus complete digestive tract
among lowest rates of metabolism of all animals
can survive long periods without oxygen
minimal food requirements

20. Circulation
circulatory system with heart
some cells in “blood”; function uncertain
may be to move nutrients around
Excretion
system of metanephridia
Nervous System and Senses
most sensory receptors are on mantle margins

21. Reproduction and Development
almost all are dioecious
-produce temporary gonads
gametes discharged through nephridia
most fertilization is external
only a few species brood their eggs
direct development in some, free-swimming larvae in other
species
eg. Lingula
eg. Terebratula

22. Phylum Phoronida
Phoronids, commonly called
horseshoe worms, are sessile
organisms that live exclusively in
marine environments. They are
attached to a substrate and live in
a chitin-like tube that is made from
secretions in their earlier stages of
life.
These tubes eventually become
decorated with debris and gives
the horseshoe worm camouflage

23. a small group of 20 species
worm-like animals
2 mm up to 30cm; most <20 cm long
all are marine benthic animals
inhabit shallow coastal waters
may be brightly colored: orange, pink, green, yellow
all secrete a chitinous or leathery tube that is either
buried in the sand or attached to rocks or shells
extend front end from tube to feed
a few species bore into mollusc shells or calcareous rock
generally solitary but some tend to aggregate making the
seafloor
-resemble a flower bed

24. outer flexible cuticle
epidermis secretes cuticle
layers of longitudinal and
circular muscles
true coelom
Body Wall

25. Feeding & Digestion
filter feeders with conspicuous set of modified ciliated tentacles
= lophophore
circular or crescent shaped
coelom extends into tentacles
feed on plankton and detritus
cilia direct food toward mouth
with up to 50 ciliated tentacles in two spirals
-collects food
-entangles it in mucous
-cilia move it to mouth
typical U – shaped gut leads to anus outside lophophore

26. Respiration
gas exchange through lophophore
Circulation
closed circulatory system with hemoglobin inside blood cells
-adaptation to life in anoxic or low O2 environments
no heart, some vessels constrict to pump blood
Excretion
paired metanephridia for excretion
Nervous System
simple diffuse nervous system with nerve ring but no
distinct brain

27. Reproduction and Development
most are hermaphrodites; some are dioecious
-but usually cross fertilize
fertilization can be internal or external
eggs fertilized internally are released through
nephridiopore
in some tentacles brood eggs
free-swimming ciliated larva metamorphoses into
sessile adult
at least two species reproduce asexually

28. END