Meeting Abstract
Chondrichthyan development within an egg case may take multiple years before hatching. During the development of the embryo, flow is required through the egg case to move oxygenated water and metabolic wastes in and out of the egg case. In the egg cases of some skates and chimaeroids the embryo actively pumps water through the case by undulating its tail; however, some catsharks (Apristurus and Parmaturus) do not actively ventilate their egg cases and the water within the case is passively pumped through by hydrodynamic forces. The relationship between permeability, functional morphology, and fluid dynamics of egg cases are yet to be fully understood and are poorly represented in the literature. Here we show basic flow models pertaining to the effects of morphology and environmental factors on fluid dynamics surrounding egg cases. Using 3D printed models of egg cases and volumetric flow analyses, we established a previously unknown metric of flow probabilities based on morphological properties. Findings from this work contribute to the understanding of the effective relationship between an organism and its environment.
