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Function-dependent development in a colonial animal.

Michelangelo von Dassow1

  • 1Integrative Biology Department, University of California, Berkeley, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Building #3140, Berkeley, California 94720-3140, USA. mvondass@yahoo.com

The Biological Bulletin
|September 2, 2006
PubMed
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Fluid flow directly influences the development of new structures in bryozoan colonies. This function-dependent development demonstrates how an organism

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Marine Biology
  • Animal Physiology

Background:

  • Bryozoans are colonial animals that filter feed using ciliated tentacles (lophophores).
  • Water currents generated by lophophores exit bryozoan colonies through specialized openings called chimneys.
  • The relationship between organismal function and developmental processes is a key area of biological inquiry.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether experimentally altered water currents can induce the formation of new chimneys in bryozoan colonies.
  • To explore the concept of function-dependent development in a simple, external fluid transport system.

Main Methods:

  • Augmented excurrent flow in bryozoan colonies by injecting seawater near lophophore crowns.
  • Monitored the development of new chimneys at injection sites and control sites over one to two days.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Compared chimney formation rates between experimental and control groups.

    • Main Results:

    • New chimneys developed rapidly (1-2 days) near sites of seawater injection.
    • New chimney formation was rare at control sites without augmented flow.
    • Fluid flow was identified as a direct inducer of morphological development.

    Conclusions:

    • Fluid flow acts as a crucial signal controlling the development of new chimneys in bryozoans.
    • This demonstrates function-dependent development, where organismal function drives morphological change.
    • Function-dependent development is distinct from phenotypic plasticity, as internal signals induce development.