Force Exerted by a Single Cilium of Mytilus Edulis

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Abstract
1. Angular velocities of the large abfrontal cilium of Mytilus beating in media of various viscosities were measured. 2. An equation for the force produced by a single cilium in free motion was derived by hydrodynamical methods. Expressing the force in terms of torque referred to the base of the cilium: Torque = angular velocity x viscosity x (length of the cilium)3 x constant. The constant appropriate to the effective stroke of the large abfrontal cilium was found by a model experiment to have a value of 1.1 . 3. The torque exerted by the cilium in normal sea water was 2 x 10-8 dyne.cm. Increase of viscosity resulted in increase in the torque. 4. The maximum power developed by the cilium was calculated to be 1.2 x 10-6 erg/sec. Assuming that a single cilium is made up of 20 subunits, the power developed by a single subunit is 6 x 10-8 erg/sec., which is of the same order of magnitude as the power developed by a single spermatozoon of a sea urchin (Carlson, 1959).

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