The fine art of surfacing: Its efficacy in broadcast spawning

Molacek, J.; Denny, M.; Bush, John W. M.

doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2011.10.013

Item

ITEM ACTIONSEXPORT

Add to Basket

Local TagsRelease HistoryDetailsSummary

Released

Journal Article

The fine art of surfacing: Its efficacy in broadcast spawning

MPS-Authors

/persons/resource/persons205905

Molacek, J.
Laboratory for Fluid Dynamics, Pattern Formation and Biocomplexity, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Max Planck Society;

External Resource

No external resources are shared

Fulltext (restricted access)

There are currently no full texts shared for your IP range.

Fulltext (public)

There are no public fulltexts stored in PuRe

Supplementary Material (public)

There is no public supplementary material available

Citation

Molacek, J., Denny, M., & Bush, J. W. M. (2012). The fine art of surfacing: Its efficacy in broadcast spawning. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 294, 40-47. doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2011.10.013.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0004-5074-F

Abstract

Many organisms reproduce by releasing gametes into the surrounding fluid. For some such broadcast spawners, gametes are positively or negatively buoyant, and, as a result, fertilization occurs on a two-dimensional surface rather than in the bulk of the air or water. We here rationalize this behaviour by considering the encounter rates of gametes on the surface and in the fluid bulk. The advantage of surfacing is quantified by considering an infinitely wide body of water of constant depth. Differential loss rates at the surface and in the bulk are considered and their influence on the robustness of surface search assessed. For small and moderate differential loss rates, the advantage of surfacing is very robust and significant; only for large loss rate differences can the advantage of surfacing be nullified.