Meeting Abstract
Bryozoan diversity in the Southern Ocean is estimated at more than 400 species, the majority of which belong to the cheilostome grade that includes three morphologically rich albeit paraphyletic groups: the Flustrina, the Lepraliomorpha, and the Umbonulomorpha. Although the molecular phylogenetic relationships among many bryozoan species have been explored, the mostly endemic Antarctic bryozoan fauna have not been well represented in these studies. We used SEM and 18S rDNA to explore the taxonomic diversity and evolutionary patterns among bryozoan species collected from the Antarctic shelf of the Palmer Archipelago as well as the Bellingshausen, Amundsen, and Ross Seas. In general, our results support previous morphological-based interpretations of species identities and their macroevolutionary relationships. However, the identities and relationships of some flustrid species are difficult to resolve due to their limited number of taxonomic characters and diverse colony growth forms. Phylogenetic inferences based on transcriptomic datasets are ongoing to resolve these issues.
