How do bryozoans use a lophophore to capture food?

Bryozoans, or moss animals, utilize a specialized organ called the lophophore to capture minute planktonic particles for food.12

In marine species, the lophophore consists of 8 to 30 ciliated tentacles arranged in a funnel shape with the mouth located at the vertex. The feeding process functions as follows:1

• Water Circulation: The beating of long lateral cilia on the tentacles draws water into the top of the funnel and propels it outward between the tentacles.1
• Particle Capture: As water passes through, food particles are directed toward the mouth. If particles begin to exit between the tentacles, a reversal of the ciliary beat effectively flicks them back into the funnel.1
• Transport: Shorter cilia located on the inner face of the tentacles move the captured food particles directly toward the mouth without the use of mucus.1
• Ingestion: Once at the mouth, the food is drawn into the pharynx. Any hard materials, such as diatom shell valves, may be broken down in the gizzard before passing into the stomach for digestion.1