Why does the jumping ciliate Mesodinium rubrum possess an equatorially located propulsive ciliary belt?
Citable URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1912/4353As published
https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbr007Keyword
Jumping ciliate; Mesodinium rubrum; Nutrient uptake; Hydrodynamic signal; Froude propulsion efficiency; Computational fluid dynamicsAbstract
It has long been thought that jumping by the ciliate Mesodinium rubrum can enhance its
nutrient uptake. However, jumping can be energetically costly and also dangerous by inducing
hydrodynamic disturbances detectable to rheotactic predators. Here, a computational fluid dynamics
(CFD) model, driven by published empirical data, is developed to simulate the jump-induced unsteady
flow as well as chemical field around a self-propelled jumping ciliate. The associated phosphorus
uptake, hydrodynamic signal strength, mechanical energy cost and Froude propulsion efficiency are
also calculated. An equatorial ciliary belt (ECB), i.e. the morphology used by M. rubrum for
propulsion, is considered. For comparison purpose, three other strategies (pulled or pushed by cilia, or
towed) are also considered. Comparison of the CFD results among the four strategies considered
suggests: (1) jumping enhances phosphorus uptake with simulated values consistent with available field
data; (2) the M. rubrum-like propulsion generates the weakest and spatially most limited hydrodynamic
disturbance and therefore may effectively minimize the jump-induced predation risk; and (3) the M.
rubrum-like propulsion achieves a high Froude propulsion efficiency (~0.78) and is least costly in
mechanical energy expenditure among the three self-propelled strategies considered. Thus, using the
ECB for propulsion can be essential in ensuring that M. rubrum is a successful ‘fast-jumping’ primary
producer.
Description
Author Posting. © The Author, 2011. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Oxford University Press for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Plankton Research 33 (2011): 998-1011, doi:10.1093/plankt/fbr007.
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Suggested Citation
Preprint: Jiang, Houshuo, "Why does the jumping ciliate Mesodinium rubrum possess an equatorially located propulsive ciliary belt?", 2011-01-14, https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbr007, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/4353Related items
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