Mass transport in marine habitats
Benthic organisms depend on the water moving around them for the transport to their vicinity of dissolved substances (e.g. gases, nutrients, chemical signals) and particulate food, for the removal of wastes, for the transport and mixing of gametes (of spawners) and for the dispersal of propagules (e.g. planktonic larvae, spores). We have been studying the transport and mixing of water-borne materials in a variety of habitats, ranging from wave-swept rocky shores and coral reefs to calm estuaries and lagoons. We have focused on the scale of water flow affecting individual organisms (e.g. mm's to m's), and on biological issues ranging from larval dispersal to food or nutrient supply. Our present research focuses on the effects of seaweed and seagrass canopies on water flow, and on the dispersal of olfactory cues and larvae in coral reef environments.
Selected references on this topic
- Koehl, M. A. R., T. M. Powell, and G. Dairiki. (1993) Measuring the fate of patches in the water: Larval dispersal. pp. 50-60 In, J. Steele, T. M. Powell, and S. A. Levin [eds.], Patch Dynamics in Terrestrial, Marine, and Freshwater Ecosystems. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. (overview)
- Sebens, K. P. and M. A. R. Koehl (1984) Predation on zooplankton by two benthic anthozoans, Alcyonium siderium (Alcoynacea) and Metridium senile (Actiniaria), in the New England subtidal. Mar. Biol. 81: 255-271.
- Koehl, M. A. R. and R. S. Alberte (1988) Flow, flapping, and photosynthesis of macroalgae: Functional consequences of undulate blade morphology. Mar. Biol. 99: 435-444.
- Koehl, M. A. R. and T. M. Powell (1994) Turbulent transport of larvae near wave-swept shores: Does water motion overwhelm larval sinking? pp. 261-274 In, H. Wilson, G. Shinn, and S. Stricker [eds.], Reproduction and Development of Marine Invertebrates. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore, MD.
- Koehl, M. A. R., T. M. Powell, and E. L. Dobbins (1997) Effects of algal turf on mass transport and flow microhabitat of ascidians in a coral reef lagoon. Proc. 8th Int. Coral Reef Symp. 2: 1087-1092.
- Koehl, M. A. R. (1998) Physiological, ecological, and evolutionary consequences of the hydrodynamics of individaul organisms. OEUVRE, (published electronically) link to article
- Koehl, M. A. R. and M. G. Hadfield (2004) Soluble settlement cue in slowly-moving water within coral reefs induces larval adhesion to surfaces. J. Mar. Sys. 49: 75-88.
- Hadfield, M. G. and Koehl, M. A. R. (2004) Rapid behavioral responses of an invertebrate larva to dissolved settlement cue. Biological Bulletin 207: 28-43.