Marine bryozoans (Ectoprocta) of the Indian River area (Florida)
Winston, J.E. (1982). Marine bryozoans (Ectoprocta) of the Indian River area (Florida). Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 173(2): 99-176. hdl.handle.net/2246/439
In: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. American Museum of Natural History: New York. ISSN 0003-0090; e-ISSN 1937-3546, more
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| Keywords |
Distribution
Ecology
Bryozoa [WoRMS]; Ectoprocta [WoRMS]
ASW, USA, Florida, Indian River Lagoon [Marine Regions]
Marine/Coastal |
| Abstract |
"The distribution and ecology of marine bryozoans of the Indian River area on the east coast of Florida was studied through collections made at 21 stations over the course of a year. Bryozoans were identified from collections of all substrata (e.g., shells, hydroids, algae, rock, seagrasses) on which colonies might be able to grow. Eighty-four species of bryozoans have been obtained thus far from the waters of the Indian River region. All collections indicated that the availability of a suitable substratum is the chief factor governing distribution of bryozoan species. In the river the main substrata are the relatively short-lived blades of seagrasses on which small, rapidly growing bryozoan species are found. Eighteen species were found in the Indian River; 12 of them in waters of salinities less than 30% (estuarine conditions). Coastal stations, with more varied substrata available for settlement and with a wider range of microenvironmental conditions, were richer in species. Twenty-three species were found at Sebastian Inlet inner breakwater, 31 at North Beach breakwater, Fort Pierce, 36 at Walton Rocks, and 31 at Seminole Shores. Offshore areas were also sampled. Twenty-one species were found at Capron Shoals. Twenty-eight species were identified in samples from two R/V Gosnold cruises. In the Indian River area some bryozoan reproduction occurred year-round, but many species reproduced primarily from late fall to early spring, in contrast to the late summer-early fall peak reproduction of bryozoan populations in temperate seas. Biogeographically, the species collected offshore had generally tropical affinities, whereas those collected at coastal and river stations included a number of tropical species, but also many species with broader Western Atlantic or cosmopolitam distributions. |
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