Marine Biology is the study of the animals and plants that live in the ocean. Marine biological research includes research on the ecology of marine communities and ecosystems, as well as the biology and relationships of the many groups of organisms that live in the sea.  Museum marine biologists focus on the ecology, biology, and taxonomy of one group of marine organisms. They study the organisms alive at field stations or underwater. They also make collections to use in their research at the museum.  Our marine collections include about 5,000 specimens of bryozoans primarily from the coasts of the United States, the Western Atlantic, and Caribbean, and the Antarctic.  Some specimens from other areas are included in the bryozoan reference collection.  Bryozoans are a phylum of colonial invertebrates that are found almost everywhere in the oceans from the intertidal to the deep sea.  A few species live in rivers, lakes and ponds. So far eight of them have been found in Virginia.

	•	DR. JUDITH WINSTON: Curator of Marine Biology			•	MARINE BIOLOGY NEWS