A Water Flume For Studies Of Organismal Interactions In Flowing Water

在Cheryl Wilga博士的指导下，罗德岛大学获得了一笔赠款，用于购买一个定制设计的水槽，用于动态生物力学、生理、行为和生态现象的研究。该装置将被设计成一个再循环槽，其流动回路布置在垂直配置中。整体尺寸约为8米x 0.6米x 0.5米（长x宽x环高），工作部分长1.5米。电机将使变速流量达到（高达2米s-1，或高达6米s-1与可拆卸减速器到位）。动物和植物可以放置在工作剖面中，在相对自然的条件下进行研究。使用水槽可以很容易地观察到鲨鱼的游泳机制、灵活的海藻的重新配置、贻贝床的聚集以及溪流昆虫捕食者-猎物的相互作用。使用水槽进行这些性能测试是至关重要的；它们不能在静水缸中进行。水槽的一个好处是，生物将被限制在一个工作部分，对观察者和记录相机保持相对静止，允许水流对生物的影响。这个水槽的第二个好处是可以改变水流的速度；为了诱导稳定游泳或研究可变流量对底栖生物水动力产生和行为的影响，必须根据每种生物的大小调整流速。这些因素对于评估机体对水流的反应是至关重要的，在静水箱中是无法实现的。拥有流量箱的第三个主要好处是它在一年中的任何时候都很容易接近。除了能够直接观察和测量机体反应外，水槽还允许研究人员使用分析设备，如视频、肌电图（记录肌肉活动）、声微米（使用超声波记录运动）、压力探头和力传感器。因此，水槽提供了一个可控的实验场所，并允许对流动水中的行为进行可视化和量化，而这些行为在自然环境或静水缸中无法准确或有效地进行。研究人员都有让学生参与各级研究的强大传统，包括每年参加专业会议展示结果。水槽将直接有利于目前在我们实验室的10名研究生以及所有未来学生的培训和研究活动。我们通常每年有6-8名本科生进行研究项目，他们也会直接从水槽的经验中受益。在我们的课程中结合使用水槽的实验将使我们能够说明水生生物的动态行为。我们也有很大的潜力来增加我们与其他学院的同事的网络和合作基础设施，如生物海洋学，机械和海洋工程，以及渔业。

A grant has been awarded to the University of Rhode Island under the direction of Dr. Cheryl Wilga for the acquisition of a custom designed water flume for studies of dynamic biomechanical, physiological, behavioral, and ecological phenomena. The apparatus will be designed as a recirculating tank with the flow loop arranged in a vertical configuration. The overall dimensions will be approximately 8 m x 0.6 m x 0.5 m (L x W x loop H) with a 1.5 m long working section. The motor will enable variable speed flows to be attained (up to 2 m s-1, or up to 6 m s-1 with the detachable reducer in place). Animals and plants can be placed in the working section and studied under relatively natural conditions. Behaviors such as swimming mechanisms in sharks, reconfiguration of flexible seaweeds, aggregation in mussel beds, and stream insect predator-prey interactions are easily observed using a flume. It is essential that a water flume is used for these kinds of performance testing; they cannot be conducted in still water aquaria. One benefit of a water flume is that the organism will be confined to a working section and remains relatively stationary to the observer and the recording camera, allowing for the effects of water flow on the organisms. A second benefit of this water flume will be the ability to vary flow speeds; flow speed must be adjusted for the size of each organism to induce steady swimming or to study the effects of variable flow on hydrodynamic force generation and behavior of benthic organisms. These factors are critical in assessing organismal responses to flow and cannot be achieved in still water tanks. A third major benefit of having the flow tank will be its easy accessibility at any time of the year. In addition to being able to observe and measure organismal responses directly, the flume readily allows researchers to use analytical equipment, such as video, electromyographs (record muscle activity), sonomicrometers (record motion using ultrasound), pressure probes, and force transducers. As a result, the flume allows for a controlled experimental arena and allows for the visualization and quantification of behaviors in flowing water that cannot be accurately or effectively conducted in the natural environment or in still water aquaria. The investigators all have a strong tradition of involving students at all levels of their research, including attending professional meetings each year to present results. The water flume will directly benefit the training and research activities of the 10 graduate students currently in our laboratories, as well as all future students. We typically have 6-8 undergraduate students that conduct research projects each year who would also directly benefit from experience with a water flume. Incorporation of experiments using the water flume in our courses will enable us to illustrate the dynamic behaviors of aquatic organisms. There is also great potential for increasing our network and partnership infrastructure with colleagues from other colleges within our university, such as Biological Oceanography, Mechanical and Ocean Engineering, and Fisheries.