How are nutrients shared among zooids in a bryozoan colony?

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Eurystomella bilabiata, a moss animal from the Order Cheilostomata. — moss animal *Eurystomella bilabiata*, a moss animal from the Order Cheilostomata.

In a bryozoan colony, nutrients are shared among individual zooids through a system of interconnecting cables and minute pores located in their body walls.1

A key component of this distribution system is the funiculus, a cord of tissue that links the stomach of a zooid to the lining of its body wall. In gymnolaemates, the funiculus develops into a colonial network that facilitates the transport of nutrients to nonfeeding areas of the colony, such as the growing edge. This integration allows the colony to function as a unified organism, ensuring that resources are distributed effectively even to parts of the colony that do not actively feed.231