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Why do bryozoans often grow in shaded places beneath piers and jetties?
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moss animal
Eurystomella bilabiata, a moss animal from the Order Cheilostomata.
Bryozoans, also known as moss animals, frequently inhabit shaded areas beneath piers and jetties because they do not require light to survive. By colonizing these dark environments, they effectively avoid competition from algae, which require sunlight for photosynthesis and could otherwise overgrow and smother the bryozoan colonies.1