TY  - JOUR
AU  - Hammel, Jörg U.
AU  - Filatov, Maxim V.
AU  - Herzen, Julia
AU  - Beckmann, Felix
AU  - Kaandorp, Jaap A.
AU  - Nickel, Michael
TI  - The non-hierarchical, non-uniformly branching topology of a leuconoid sponge aquiferous system revealed by 3D reconstruction and morphometrics using corrosion casting and X-ray microtomography
JO  - Acta zoologica
VL  - 93
IS  - 2
SN  - 0001-7272
CY  - Oxford
PB  - Wiley
M1  - PUBDB-2017-07054
SP  - 160 - 170
PY  - 2012
N1  - (c) The Authors ; (c) The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ; Post referee fulltext in progress; Embargo 12 months from publication 
AB  - As sessile filter feeders, sponges rely on a highly efficient fluid transport system. Their physiology depends on efficient water exchange, which is performed by the aquiferous system. This prominent poriferan anatomical character represents a dense network of incurrent and excurrent canals on which we lack detailed 3D models. To overcome this, we investigated the complex leucon-type architecture in the demosponge Tethya wilhelma using corrosion casting, microtomography, and 3D reconstructions. Our integrative qualitative and quantitative approach allowed us to create, for the first time, high-resolution 3D representations of entire canal systems which were used for detailed geometric and morphometric measurements. Canal diameters lack distinct size classes, and bifurcations are non-uniformly ramified. A relatively high number of bifurcations show previously unknown and atypical cross-sectional area ratios. Scaling properties and topological patterns of the canals indicate a more complex overall architecture than previously assumed. As a consequence, it might be more convenient to group canals into functional units rather than hierarchical clusters. Our data qualify the leucon canal system architecture of T. wilhelma as a highly efficient fluid transport system adapted toward minimal flow resistance. Our results and approach are relevant for a better understanding of sponge biology and cultivation techniques.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000301484700003
DO  - DOI:10.1111/j.1463-6395.2010.00492.x
UR  - https://bib-pubdb1.desy.de/record/330602
ER  -