The sponge pump: the role of current induced flow in the design of the sponge body plan.
Sponges are suspension feeders that use flagellated collar-cells (choanocytes) to actively filter a volume of water equivalent to many times their body volume each hour. Flow through sponges is thought to be enhanced by ambient current, which induces a pressure gradient across the sponge wall, but t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2011-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/22180779/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1818853865936650240 |
|---|---|
| author | Sally P Leys Gitai Yahel Matthew A Reidenbach Verena Tunnicliffe Uri Shavit Henry M Reiswig |
| author_facet | Sally P Leys Gitai Yahel Matthew A Reidenbach Verena Tunnicliffe Uri Shavit Henry M Reiswig |
| author_sort | Sally P Leys |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sponges are suspension feeders that use flagellated collar-cells (choanocytes) to actively filter a volume of water equivalent to many times their body volume each hour. Flow through sponges is thought to be enhanced by ambient current, which induces a pressure gradient across the sponge wall, but the underlying mechanism is still unknown. Studies of sponge filtration have estimated the energetic cost of pumping to be <1% of its total metabolism implying there is little adaptive value to reducing the cost of pumping by using "passive" flow induced by the ambient current. We quantified the pumping activity and respiration of the glass sponge Aphrocallistes vastus at a 150 m deep reef in situ and in a flow flume; we also modeled the glass sponge filtration system from measurements of the aquiferous system. Excurrent flow from the sponge osculum measured in situ and in the flume were positively correlated (r>0.75) with the ambient current velocity. During short bursts of high ambient current the sponges filtered two-thirds of the total volume of water they processed daily. Our model indicates that the head loss across the sponge collar filter is 10 times higher than previously estimated. The difference is due to the resistance created by a fine protein mesh that lines the collar, which demosponges also have, but was so far overlooked. Applying our model to the in situ measurements indicates that even modest pumping rates require an energetic expenditure of at least 28% of the total in situ respiration. We suggest that due to the high cost of pumping, current-induced flow is highly beneficial but may occur only in thin walled sponges living in high flow environments. Our results call for a new look at the mechanisms underlying current-induced flow and for reevaluation of the cost of biological pumping and its evolutionary role, especially in sponges. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T07:43:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-509726a72da2419594dbb614bbbe1a87 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T07:43:37Z |
| publishDate | 2011-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-509726a72da2419594dbb614bbbe1a872022-12-21T20:30:23ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032011-01-01612e2778710.1371/journal.pone.0027787The sponge pump: the role of current induced flow in the design of the sponge body plan.Sally P LeysGitai YahelMatthew A ReidenbachVerena TunnicliffeUri ShavitHenry M ReiswigSponges are suspension feeders that use flagellated collar-cells (choanocytes) to actively filter a volume of water equivalent to many times their body volume each hour. Flow through sponges is thought to be enhanced by ambient current, which induces a pressure gradient across the sponge wall, but the underlying mechanism is still unknown. Studies of sponge filtration have estimated the energetic cost of pumping to be <1% of its total metabolism implying there is little adaptive value to reducing the cost of pumping by using "passive" flow induced by the ambient current. We quantified the pumping activity and respiration of the glass sponge Aphrocallistes vastus at a 150 m deep reef in situ and in a flow flume; we also modeled the glass sponge filtration system from measurements of the aquiferous system. Excurrent flow from the sponge osculum measured in situ and in the flume were positively correlated (r>0.75) with the ambient current velocity. During short bursts of high ambient current the sponges filtered two-thirds of the total volume of water they processed daily. Our model indicates that the head loss across the sponge collar filter is 10 times higher than previously estimated. The difference is due to the resistance created by a fine protein mesh that lines the collar, which demosponges also have, but was so far overlooked. Applying our model to the in situ measurements indicates that even modest pumping rates require an energetic expenditure of at least 28% of the total in situ respiration. We suggest that due to the high cost of pumping, current-induced flow is highly beneficial but may occur only in thin walled sponges living in high flow environments. Our results call for a new look at the mechanisms underlying current-induced flow and for reevaluation of the cost of biological pumping and its evolutionary role, especially in sponges.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/22180779/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Sally P Leys Gitai Yahel Matthew A Reidenbach Verena Tunnicliffe Uri Shavit Henry M Reiswig The sponge pump: the role of current induced flow in the design of the sponge body plan. PLoS ONE |
| title | The sponge pump: the role of current induced flow in the design of the sponge body plan. |
| title_full | The sponge pump: the role of current induced flow in the design of the sponge body plan. |
| title_fullStr | The sponge pump: the role of current induced flow in the design of the sponge body plan. |
| title_full_unstemmed | The sponge pump: the role of current induced flow in the design of the sponge body plan. |
| title_short | The sponge pump: the role of current induced flow in the design of the sponge body plan. |
| title_sort | sponge pump the role of current induced flow in the design of the sponge body plan |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/22180779/?tool=EBI |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sallypleys thespongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan AT gitaiyahel thespongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan AT matthewareidenbach thespongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan AT verenatunnicliffe thespongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan AT urishavit thespongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan AT henrymreiswig thespongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan AT sallypleys spongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan AT gitaiyahel spongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan AT matthewareidenbach spongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan AT verenatunnicliffe spongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan AT urishavit spongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan AT henrymreiswig spongepumptheroleofcurrentinducedflowinthedesignofthespongebodyplan |