Switching Between Suspension and Deposit Feeding: Importancefor Energetics of Benthic Infauna and Particle Dynamics in the Benthic Boundary Layer

许多生活在软沉积物中的海洋动物 行为取决于近底流速。 在低流量时， 以沉积的颗粒物为食是常见的，而在 高流量的动物往往转而以悬浮物为食。 这种“转换”被认为是有益的， 更好的食品或最大限度地减少竞争的相互作用， 有限的食物资源。 然而，几乎没有直接证据表明 动物们通过改变它们的进食方式 行为实验室实验将在三个 具有不同转换能力的底栖物种。 海水水槽将被用来创造不同的环境， 悬浮物和沉积物的流速和可用性 颗粒物 个体的摄食率和生长率 将对动物进行测量，以检验关于 在这些不同的条件下。选定的实验 将在水流状况和 悬浮颗粒物的供应量各不相同。

Many marine animals living in soft sediments alter their behavior depending on near-bottom flow speeds. At low flow, feeding on deposited particulate matter is common, while at higher flow animals often switch to feeding on suspended matter. This "switching" is thought to be beneficial in terms of using better food items or minimizing competitive interactions due to limited food resources. However, little direct evidence exists that animals obtain a net benefit by switching their feeding behavior. Laboratory experiments will be conducted on three bottom-dwelling species with different capacities for switching. A seawater flume will be used to create environments differing in flow speeds and availability of suspended and deposited particulate matter. Feeding and growth rates of individual animals will be measured to test hypotheses about the benefits obtained under these differing conditions. Selected experiments will be replicated at sites in the field where flow regime and supply of suspended particulate matter vary.