AUTHOR=Beaudry Katherine , Cameron Christopher B. TITLE=Oil Droplet Capture and Ingestion by Filter-Feeding Sabellid and Serpulid Polychaetes JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science VOLUME=11 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1337358 DOI=10.3389/fmars.2024.1337358 ISSN=2296-7745 ABSTRACT=
Benthic filter-feeders form an essential role in marine food chains as they constitute the bridge between the microscopic primary producers and the consumers. Although filter-feeders mainly feed on solid particles, they also capture and ingest oil droplets. Usually, these microdroplets come from the decomposition of animals or algae or from petroleum oils that enter water via spills and leakages. Here, we used videography, TRITC fluorescence microscopy, and fluid mechanics to study the capture mechanisms of canola, fish, and four petroleum motor oil droplets by the filter feeding sabellid and a serpulid polychaetes.