Z. verticillatum , like all bryozoans, is a suspension feeder . These secondary metabolites are likely to protect zooids in the colony by discouraging predation, preventing settlement of other organisms, and preventing bacteria or viruses from invading. Only a few species of nudibranch mollusks are known to feed directly on Z. verticillatum. Seagrasses as well as floating macroalgae , provide support for bryozoan colonies. In turn, bryozoans provide habitat for many species of juvenile fishes and their invertebrate prey such as polychaete worms, amphipods and copepods.
Bryozoans are ecologically important in the Indian River Lagoon due to their feeding method.
As suspension feeders, they act as living filters in the marine environment.