Phyla of Tiny Filter Feeders Find a New Spot on the Tree of Life

A new study using fairly complete genetic datasets of two phyla of small suspension
feeders (Ectoprocta and Entoprocta) reopens the debate on the phylogenetic
relationships between them and other animals.

Alejandra Manjarrez

Jul 6, 2022

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ABOVE:
Loxosomella nordgaardi entoprocts on the surface of a colony of Smittoidea
propinqua ectoprocts
DR. NATALIA SHUNATOVA, ST. PETERSBURG STATE UNIVERSITY
Lophotrochozoa is a remarkably diverse group of animals that includes mollusks,
worms, and some lesser-known, peculiar creatures. The evolutionary relationships
among some of the phyla within this group are still subject to debate. This is the
case for three phyla of tiny suspension feeders (Ectoprocta, Entoprocta, and
Cycliophora), which have previously jumped back and forth in the lophotrochozoan
tree, depending on the data and methods used to assemble it.

A new study published last week (July 1) in Science Advances proposes that all
three of these phyla belong to the same clade, backing a classification that dates
back to 1830 and was revived in the late 1990s. In that classification, the phyla
were collectively dubbed Polyzoa. The new analysis, which includes high-quality
data on gene expression in ectoprocts (also known as bryozans) and entoprocts,
further suggests that the trio was one of the first to branch out from other
lophotrochozoans.

Tracing back “evolutionary events that took place hundreds of millions of years
ago” by studying only the few extant lineages today is a “huge challenge,” says
University of Copenhagen zoologist Katrine Worsaae, who was not involved in the
study. “Some of these events took place relatively rapidly within evolutionary
time,” she adds, which further complicates matters.