Effective and elegant: New research reveals swimming mechanics of the gossamer worm

Описание: Unlike its bottom-dwelling kin, the gossamer worm (Tomopteris sp.) lives in constant motion. This ethereal worm is a graceful swimmer that “dances” through the midwater with the rhythmic paddling of its swimming legs.

A new study published in Integrative and Comparative Biology this summer from MBARI researchers Joost Daniels and Kakani Katija, with collaborators Karen Osborn and her team at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, has revealed the worm’s swimming behavior in fine detail.

Leveraging observations recorded in the depths of Monterey Bay by MBARI’s remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and high-speed video and sophisticated laser illumination of specimens in the laboratory, the research team could study the mechanics of the gossamer worm’s swimming more closely. They learned that a flexible body plan allows this worm to combine two different modes of propulsion to achieve effective—and elegant—swimming. This makes Tomopteris especially interesting for engineers. In the future, this worm could inspire new designs for everything from underwater propulsion to medical technology.

Learn more about this incredible intersection of engineering and biology: www.mbari.org/tomopteris-swimming


Publication reference:
Daniels, J., N. Aoki, J. Havassy, K. Katija, and K.J. Osborn (2021). Metachronal swimming with flexible legs: A kinematics analysis of the midwater polychaete Tomopteris. Integrative and Comparative Biology, icab059. doi.org/10.1093/icb/icab059

Production team: Raul Nava, Kyra Schlining, Nancy Jacobsen Stout, Susan von Thun
Video editor: Kyra Schlining
Music: Move Forward (MotionArray)

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