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Procedure to Evaluate the Efficiency of Flocculants for the Removal of Dispersed Particles from Plant Extracts
Published on: April 9, 2016
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Social flocculation in plant-animal worms
Alan Worley1, Ana B Sendova-Franks2, Nigel R Franks1
1School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
Royal Society Open Science
|April 30, 2019
Summary
Individual plant-animal worms exhibit social flocculation, forming larger groups to quickly escape turbulent waters. This collective behavior enhances their safety by enabling faster descent to the seabed.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Animal Behavior
- Collective Action
Background:
- Many animal species benefit from group living for safety or efficiency.
- Turbulence poses a risk to beach-dwelling organisms by potentially displacing them offshore.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the collective behavior of plant-animal worms (Symsagittifera roscoffensis) in response to turbulence.
- To determine if social flocculation aids in rapid descent to safety.
Main Methods:
- Observing Symsagittifera roscoffensis in controlled laboratory settings simulating turbulent conditions.
- Analyzing the formation and dynamics of worm flocs.
- Measuring the descent speed of individual worms versus worms in flocs of varying sizes.
Main Results:
- Symsagittifera roscoffensis forms flocs in response to simulated turbulence.
- Flocculation significantly increases the speed at which worms descend to the substrate.
- Descent speed is positively correlated with floc size, with larger flocs engulfing smaller ones.
Conclusions:
- This study presents the first evidence of social flocculation in a wild, multicellular organism.
- Social flocculation in Symsagittifera roscoffensis is an effective strategy for rapid predator avoidance and substrate re-entry.
- The ability of large, entangled multicellular organisms to form effective flocs is a novel finding in collective behavior research.
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