The Mechanisms of Filter Feeding: Some Theoretical Considerations
- 1 September 1977
- journal article
- research article
- Published by University of Chicago Press in The American Naturalist
- Vol. 111 (981) , 981-994
- https://doi.org/10.1086/283227
Abstract
There are 5 basic mechanisms by which any biological or man-made filter can remove particles from a fluid. These mechanisms are: direct interception, innertial impaction, gravitational deposition, motile-particle deposition, and electrostatic attraction. For these mechanisms dimensionless indexes are presented that indicate which measurable characteristics of the filter, the particles and the flow affect the intensity of particle capture. By comparing the magnitudes of these indexes it is possible to determine the main mechanism a filter is using to capture particles. Awareness of these mechanisms and their interrelationships will provide insights for those investigating the efficiency of various modes of filter feeding and the mechanisms of size-selective suspension feeding.This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- The filter‐feeder as an optimal forager, and the predicted shapes of feeding curvesLimnology and Oceanography, 1976
- Model for predicting pressure drop and filtration efficiency in fibrous mediaEnvironmental Science & Technology, 1968
- Sinking rates of marine phytoplankton measured with a fluorometerJournal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 1967