Department of Enterprise Engineering "Mario Lucertini", University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Via del Politecnico 1, 00133 Rome, Italy.
Department of Physics, Harvard University, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2024 May 17;132(20):208402. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.208402.
We analyze the flow physics inside the body cavity and downstream the deep-sea glass sponge Euplectella aspergillum. We provide evidence that the helical skeletal motifs of the sponge give rise to a rich fluid dynamic field, allowing the organism to scavenge flow from the bottom of the sea and promoting a spontaneous, organized vertical flow within its body cavity toward the osculum. Our analysis points at a functional adaptation of the organism, which can passively divert flow through the osculum in unfavorable, low ambient currents, with no need for active pumping, with potential repercussions in functional ecology, as well as the design of chemical reactors, air-treatment units, and civil and aeronaval structures.
我们分析了深海玻璃海绵 Euplectella aspergillum 体内腔和下游的流动物理学。我们提供的证据表明，海绵的螺旋状骨骼图案产生了丰富的流体力学生态学领域，允许生物从海底吸取流动，并促进其体腔内的自发、有组织的垂直流动朝向孔口。我们的分析指出了生物体的功能适应，它可以在不利的低环境流中被动地通过孔口引导流动，而无需主动泵送，这可能对流动作物学、化学反应器、空气处理单元、民用和航空结构的设计产生潜在影响。
