The ecology of invertebrates is the general area of interest in my laboratory, with major focus on freshwater bryozoans. These filter-feeding, colonial animals are extremely common worldwide in both marine and freshwater habitats. Colonies are composed of interconnected zooids, each with a set of feathery tentacles for feeding, each also capable of sexual and asexual reproduction. The animals are notorious for clogging waterworks and pipelines.
In the past few years our efforts have been directed primarily to taxonomy and systematics. We have located all existing type specimens and documented their condition and major features. We are now shifting our attention to tropical species, with much of our work conducted in Thailand. Ongoing projects include:

1. Establishing relationships among various groups using a combination of morphological, embryological, and genetic data;
2. Documenting and describing new species from Southeast Asia;
3. Studying the development, ecology, and behavior of cyphonautes larvae in an ancient freshwater species of Hislopia.
4. Developing strategies for the control of biofouling bryozoans, especially the plumatellids.

Representative Publications:

Wood, Timothy, Patana Anurakpongsatorn, and Jukkrit Mahujchariyawong. Introduction to the study of freshwater bryozoans in Thailand [in English and Thai]. Biodiversity Research and Training Program, Bangkok (in print).

Wood, Timothy, Patana Anurakpongsatorn, and Jukkrit Mahujchariyawong. 2006. Freshwater bryozoans of Thailand. The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University 6(2): 81-117.

Wood, Timothy, Patana Anurakpongsatorn, and Jukkrit Mahujchariyawong. 2006. Swimming zooids: an unusual dispersal strategy in the ctenostome bryozoan, Hislopia. Linzer Biologische Beiträge 38(1): 71-75.

Wood, Timothy, Patana Anurakpongsatorn, Ratcha Chaichana, Jukkrit Mahujchariyawong, and Tunlawit Satapanajaru. 2006. Heavy predation on freshwater bryozoans by the golden apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata Lamarck, 1822 (Ampulariidae). The Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University 6(1): 31-36.

Wood, Timothy S. and Beth Okamura. 2005. A new key to the freshwater bryozoans of Britain, Ireland, and Continental Europe, with notes on their ecology. Freshwater Biological Association , Ambleside, UK. 113 p.

Wood, Timothy S. 2005. Loxomatoides sirindhornae, new species, a freshwater kamptozoan from Thailand (Entoprocta). Hydrobiologia 544: 27-31.

Wood, Timothy S. and Michael B. Lore. 2005. The higher phylogeny of phylactolaemate bryozoans inferred from 18S ribosomal DNA sequences. Pp. 361-367 in: Moyano, H., J. Cancino, and P. Wyse Jackson (eds). Bryozoan Studies 2004. Taylor & Francis Group, London.

Wood, Timothy S. 2005. Study methods for freshwater bryozoans. Denisia 16: 103-109.

Wood, Timothy S. and Beth Okamura. 2004. Plumatella geimermassardi, a newly recognized freshwater bryozoan from Britain, Ireland, and continental Europe (Bryozoa: Phylactolaemata), Hydrobiologia 518: 1-7.

Wood, T. 2001. Bryozoans. Pages 505-525 in: J. Thorp and A. Covich, Editors, Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates, Second Edition. Academic Press.

Wood, T. S. and T. G. Marsh. 1998. Biofouling of wastewater treatment facilities by the freshwater bryozoan, Plumatella vaihiriae (Hastings, 1929). Water Research 33(3): 609- 614.