Nota: A tradução desta entrada está atualmente em revisão de qualidade, portanto parte do conteúdo é exibida temporariamente apenas em inglês.
Este verbete ainda não foi traduzido para o seu idioma, portanto o original é exibido abaixo.
zooid
This term is used exclusively within biological and zoological contexts to describe the individual units of a colonial organism. It carries a highly technical register and is rarely encountered outside of marine biology or invertebrate zoology. The term emphasizes the paradox of an organism that is an individual in structure but dependent on the colony for survival.
Because zooids are often highly specialized—performing specific tasks like feeding, defense, or reproduction—the word is frequently paired with adjectives describing these roles. It is distinct from a free-living organism in that a zooid typically cannot survive or function in isolation from its colonial structure.
Meanings
Examples
Each zooid in the colony performs a specific function for the whole organism.
Look at how this individual zooid filters water from the current.
The colony consists of thousands of tiny zooids working in unison.
I wonder if a single zooid can survive if it is separated from the colony.
The researcher identified a specialized gonozooid responsible for reproduction.
The researcher identified a specialized gonozooid responsible for reproduction.
These zooids are genetically identical because they formed through budding.
Wait, is that a feeding zooid or a defensive one?
The structural zooids provide the necessary support for the entire colony.
A siphonophore is not one animal but a collection of specialized zooids.
A siphonophore is not one animal but a collection of specialized zooids.