Comparative functional morphology and hydrodynamics of sponge aquiferous systems.

该项目将以综合和比较的方法解决海绵含水系统的功能形态学问题。海绵白质运河系统显示出比先前假设的更高的建筑模式复杂性。在这种情况下，目前的海绵流动模型被认为是过于简化的。由于海绵是一种固定式滤食性生物，所有主要的生理过程都依赖于管道系统内处理的水。这些过程中的大多数是扩散受限的（例如氧运输）。因此，预计海绵中特定运河系统的建筑模式和生长形式之间存在相互依赖关系。通过形态计量参数的分析，研究了水渠系统结构与海绵生长形态的相互依存关系。结合形态学数据、实验确定的流速数据和计算流体动力学结果，目前海绵流动的理论标准模型将得到完善和扩展，以适应我们对管道系统结构的更高复杂性的更深层次的认识。根据建模方法，该项目将提供有关海绵中营养物质和气体分布的信息。对海绵管道系统功能形态的全面扩展将导致对海绵生理学的更深入理解，从而支持仍在进行的建立海绵培养方法的努力，这是海洋生物技术和海绵应用天然产物研究的重要先决条件。

This project will address functional morphological aspects of sponge aquiferous systems in an integrative and comparative approach. Sponge leucon-type canal systems show a higher complexity of architectural patterns than previously assumed. In this context the present model of flow in sponges is regarded to be to simplified. As sponges are sessile filter feeding organisms all major physiological processes are dependent of the water processed within the canal system. Most of these processes are diffusion limited (e.g. oxygen transport). Therefore, a interdependence of specific canal system architectural patterns and growth form in sponges is expected. By means of analyzing morphometric parameters, the interdependence of canal system architecture and sponge growth form will be studied. In combining morphological data, experimentally determined flow velocity data and computational fluid dynamic results, the present theoretical standard model of flow in sponges will be refined and expanded to fit our deeper knowledge on the higher complexity of canal system architectures. Following a modeling approach the project will bring forth information on the distribution of nutrients and gas in sponges. The overall resulting expanded knowledge on sponge canal system functional morphology will lead to a deeper understanding of sponge physiology in general and thus support still ongoing efforts to establish sponge cultivation methods which are an important prerequisite for marine biotechnology and applied natural product research on sponges.