Flow and conduit formation in the external fluid-transport system of a suspension feeder

To what extent is the development of a fluid-transport system related to flow within the system? Colonies of the bryozoan Membranipora membranacea have a simple external fluid-transport system with three components: the canopy of lophophores (crowns of ciliated tentacles), the edge of the canopy, and chimneys (raised openings in the canopy). The lophophores pump seawater into the colony and capture food particles from the seawater. The chimneys and canopy edge let the water back out of the colony. New chimneys form at the canopy edge as the colony grows. I tested whether there was a correlation between chimney formation and excurrent flow speed at the canopy edge by measuring excurrent flow speeds prior to chimney formation. Excurrent flow speeds were higher in regions that produced chimneys than in regions that did not form chimneys. Observations of changes in chimney shape after anesthetization with MgCl2 suggest that both growth and behavior determine chimney shape. Together, the results suggest that there is a strong correlation between growth and flow in this external fluid-transport system, with new chimneys forming at sites of high flow.