Senior Scientist

Unit for Integrative Zoology, Department of Evolutionary Biology
University of Vienna

Abstract

Bryozoans are unique among lophotrochozoans since they are an exclusively colonial phylum. Current research on this phylum concentrates mostly on systematics, biodiversity and macroevolutionary events. Particularly the large amount of fossil species makes it one of the prime research fields at the moment. Other aspects such as morphological, developmental or phylogenetic studies still remain less studied. For over 15 years, bryozoan research in Vienna has tackled several of those neglected fields in bryozoology, not just in terms of research foci, but also in terms of the little studied clades Phylactolaemata and Ctenostomata. In this talk I will present several aspects of bryozoan research conducted in Vienna. It will summarize past aspects, current aspects and future prospects in Viennese bryozoan research.