Experimental and theoretical investigations of filter feeding mechanisms of recent and fossil crinoids

本项目是一项跨学科的研究，旨在详细分析过滤器的供料机理。由于海百合种类繁多，形态范围广泛，且采用被动悬浮摄食策略，是研究生物过滤机制性能的理想对象。现存的和灭绝的形式将使用现代计算方法以及水槽（流道）实验进行比较，以检验理论假设并获得实验数据。本研究的目的是：1)对被动悬浮取食机制有实质性的贡献；2)分析不同过滤器结构对流动模式和过滤效率的影响；3)得出海百合取食策略的结论，并确定过滤器取食策略在海百合进化中的可能作用；4)获得关于不同目的的高效颗粒捕获的仿生概念。应用方法包括：1)对中三叠世liliiformis化石和现存Hyocrinus sp.的详细人工模型进行水槽实验（Particle Image velocity， PIV）； 2)利用商业软件包对liliiformis、Hyocrinus sp.和Neocrinus decorus（也存在）的三维模型进行数值模拟（FEM）。计算机模拟的应用代表了一种最近被引入的分析生物过滤机制的方法，但迄今尚未应用于海百合的过滤喂养。PIV将首次应用于滤料分析。

This project is an interdisciplinary study to analyze filter feeding mechanisms in detail. Due to the great diversity, the wide morphological range and the passive suspension feeding strategy of crinoids, representatives of this group are ideal objects for studying the performance of biological filter mechanisms. Extant and extinct forms will be compared using modern computational approaches as well as flume (flow channel) experiments to test theoretical hypothesis and to obtain experimental data. The aim of the study is to: 1) contribute substantially to our knowledge of passive suspension feeding mechanisms, 2) analyze the effect of different filter architectures on flow patterns and filter efficiency, 3) draw conclusions on feeding strategies of crinoids and identify the possible role of filter feeding strategies in the evolution of crinoids, and 4) to obtain biomimetic concepts with respect to efficient particle capturing for different purposes. Applied methods include 1) flume experiments (Particle Image Velocimetry, PIV) on detailed artificial models of fossil Encrinus liliiformis (Middle Triassic) and extant Hyocrinus sp., 2) numerical simulations (FEM) on 3d models of E. liliiformis, Hyocrinus sp. and Neocrinus decorus (also extant), using a commercial program package. The application of computer simulations represents a method that has been recently introduced for analyzing biological filter mechanisms and has hitherto not been applied to crinoid filter feeding. PIV will be applied for analyzing filter feeding for the first time.