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How does sexual reproduction increase genetic variation in bryozoans?

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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 bryozoans, sexual reproduction increases genetic variation through the production and subsequent fusion of gametes (eggs and spermatozoa). By combining genetic material from two parents, this process generates the variability necessary for a species to adapt to changing environmental conditions.12

While the specific cellular mechanisms of recombination in bryozoans mirror those found in other organisms, the process generally involves meiosis, where homologous chromosomes are shuffled to create unique genetic combinations in the gametes. When these gametes fuse during fertilization, they restore the diploid chromosome number, resulting in offspring with a distinct genetic constitution compared to their parents. This contrasts with the colony's asexual process of budding, which produces genetically identical clones.34156