Conference paper
Computational Fluid Dynamics of Choanoflagellate Filter-Feeding
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark1
Fluid Mechanics, Coastal and Maritime Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark2
National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark3
Centre for Ocean Life, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark4
Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark5
Biophysics and Fluids, Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark6
Choanoflagellates are unicellular aquatic organisms with a single flagellum that drives a feeding current through a funnel-shaped collar filter on which bacteria-sized prey are caught. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) we model the beating flagellum and the complex filter flow of the choanoflagellate Diaphanoeca grandis.
Our CFD simulations based on the current understanding of the morphology underestimate the experimentally observed clearance rate by more than an order of magnitude: The beating flagellum is simply unable to draw enough water through the fine filter. Our observations motivate us to suggest a radically different filtration mechanism that requires a flagellar vane (sheet), and addition of a wide vane in our CFD model allows us to correctly predict the observed clearance rate.
| Language: | English |
|---|---|
| Year: | 2017 |
| Proceedings: | 70th Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics (DFD17) |
| Types: | Conference paper |
| ORCIDs: | Asadzadeh, Seyed Saeed , Walther, Jens Honore , Nielsen, Lasse Tor , Kiørboe, Thomas and Andersen, Anders Peter |
