Hart M W
Biol Bull. 1991 Feb;180(1):12-27. doi: 10.2307/1542425.
Motivated by discrepancies between two recent descriptions of the suspension-feeding mechanism employed by echinoderm larvae, I describe particle captures by the larvae of seven species of temperate eastern Pacific echinoderms from four classes. When videotape recordings of free-swimming larvae clearing plastic spheres from suspension were analyzed, two modes of particle capture were observed to operate. The majority of captured spheres were caught at the peripheral ciliated band and then transported to the mouth, often by repeated capture on portions of the band progressively nearer to the mouth. This description is consistent with the ciliary reversal model of suspension feeding described by R. R. Strathmann. A small minority of captured spheres followed broad, curving paths directly into the larval mouth without interception at the ciliated band. These particle paths resemble those described by T. H. J. Gilmour. The videotape recordings also permitted a quantitative comparison of suspension feeding by these larvae. Several aspects of this behavior varied among developmental stages or among types of larvae, including: the distribution of particle captures among different segments of the ciliated band, the number of captures for single particles en route to the mouth, and the frequency of particles lost after initial capture. This variation raises a number of questions regarding the feeding performance of different larval species and the efficacy of these different larvae as elements of a reproductive strategy.
受棘皮动物幼虫所采用的悬浮取食机制的两种近期描述之间差异的启发，我描述了来自四个纲的七种东太平洋温带棘皮动物幼虫的颗粒捕获情况。当分析自由游动的幼虫从悬浮液中清除塑料球的录像时，观察到两种颗粒捕获模式在起作用。大多数捕获的球是在周边纤毛带处捕获的，然后通常通过在带的部分上反复捕获，逐渐靠近口部，被运送到口中。这一描述与R. R. 斯特拉斯曼所描述的悬浮取食的纤毛反转模型一致。一小部分捕获的球沿着宽阔的弯曲路径直接进入幼虫口部，而没有在纤毛带处被拦截。这些颗粒路径类似于T. H. J. 吉尔摩所描述的路径。录像还允许对这些幼虫的悬浮取食进行定量比较。这种行为的几个方面在发育阶段或幼虫类型之间有所不同，包括：纤毛带不同段之间颗粒捕获的分布、单个颗粒在运往口部途中的捕获次数以及初次捕获后颗粒丢失的频率。这种变化引发了一些关于不同幼虫种类取食性能以及这些不同幼虫作为繁殖策略要素的功效的问题。
