Abstract
Bryozoans (Phylum Bryozoa) are colony-forming invertebrates found in marine and freshwater contexts. Many are calcified, while some others have chitinous buds, and so have archaeological potential, yet they are seldom investigated, perhaps due to considerable difficulties with identification. This article presents an overview of bryozoans, as well as summarising archaeological contexts in which bryozoans might be expected to occur, and highlighting some previous work. It also presents methods and directions to maximise the potential of bryozoans in archaeological investigations.
Highlights
Bryozoans (Phylum Bryozoa), known as sea mats or moss animals and formerly as Polyzoa or Entroprocta, are colony-forming sessile invertebrates, comprising communities of separate individuals known as zooids
Bryozoa are reasonably common in archaeological sites, especially as epibiont organisms on marine shells, they are seldom identified to species or even family level
The size of zooids may reflect palaeotemperature, they may exhibit morphology that allows reconstruction of seasonality, and zooids may be sampled for stable isotope analysis for palaeoclimatic studies
Summary
Bryozoans (Phylum Bryozoa) are colony-forming invertebrates found in marine and freshwater contexts. While some others have chitinous buds, and so have archaeological potential, yet they are seldom investigated, perhaps due to considerable difficulties with identification. This article presents an overview of bryozoans, as well as summarising archaeological contexts in which bryozoans might be expected to occur, and highlighting some previous work. It presents methods and directions to maximise the potential of bryozoans in archaeological investigations. Features o Keywords: Bryozoa, environmental archaeology, palaeoecology, biological remains, marine shells, freshwater sediments, marine sediments
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