Meeting Abstract

10.1  Sunday, Jan. 4  A fluid mechanical model for current-generating-feeding of jellyfish and the effect of prey size and escape forces PENG, Jifeng*; DABIRI, John; California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA; California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA jfpeng@caltech.edu

Many jellyfish species, e.g. moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita, use body motion to generate fluid currents which carry their prey to the vicinity of their capture appendages. In this study, a model was developed to understand the fluid mechanics for this current-generating-feeding mode of jellyfish. The flow generated by free-swimming Aurelia aurita was measured using digital particle image velocimetry. The dynamics of prey (e.g., brine shrimp Artemia) in the flow field were described by a modified Maxey-Riley equation which takes into consideration the inertia of prey and the escape forces, which prey exert in the presence of predator. A Lagrangian analysis was used to identify the region of the flow in which prey can be captured by the jellyfish and the clearance rate was quantified. The study provides a new methodology to study biological current-generating-feeding and the transport and mixing of particles in fluid flow in general.