Molecular techniques are currently the leading tools for reconstructing phylogenetic
relationships, but our understanding of ancestral, plesiomorphic and apomorphic characters …

Lophotrochozoa is a protostome clade that includes disparate animals such as molluscs,
annelids, bryozoans, and flatworms, giving it the distinction of including the most body plans …

We present the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny of bryozoans to date. Our
concatenated alignment of two nuclear ribosomal and five mitochondrial genes includes 95 …

It is widely held that the bilaterian tubular gut with mouth and anus evolved from a simple gut
with one major gastric opening. However, there is no consensus on how this happened. Did …

Technological advances throughout different fields of research have enhanced our
understanding of biodiversity, especially for meiofaunal organisms, which are notoriously …

Animal phyla vary dramatically in species richness (from one species to> 1.2 million), but the
causes of this variation remain largely unknown. Animals have also evolved striking …

Background Two theories for the origin of animal life cycles with planktotrophic larvae are
now discussed seriously: The terminal addition theory proposes a holopelagic …

The interstitial environment of marine sandy bottoms is a nutrient-rich, sheltered habitat
whilst at the same time also often a turbulent, space-limited, and ecologically challenging …

Background Though some elements of the bryozoan nervous system were discovered 180
years ago, few studies of their neuromorphology have been undertaken since that time. As a …

Background Stereotypic cleavage patterns play a crucial role in cell fate determination by
precisely positioning early embryonic blastomeres. Although misplaced cell divisions can …