Bulletin of ANPA

Abstract submitted to ANPA Conference July 14–16, 2023

Volume 5, Number 1

Biological, Medical, Soft Matter and Chemical Physics

Abstract ID: ANPA2023-N00092

Abstract:

ANPA2023-N00092: Fascinating Biophysics in Simple Marine Animals

Authors:

• Vivek N. Prakash; Department of Physics, University of Miami, Miami, FL

Animals are characterized by their movement, and their tissues are continuously subjected to dynamic force loading. Tissue mechanics determines the ecological niches that can be endured by a living organism. In the first part of my talk, I will present our surprising discovery of motility-induced tissue fractures and healing in a simple, early divergent marine animal – the Trichoplax adhaerens. I will demonstrate how fracture mechanics governs dramatic shape changes and asexual reproduction in this animal. In the second part of my talk, I will focus on the role of fluid mechanics in marine invertebrates. In starfish larvae, we discovered that ciliary arrays give rise to a beautiful pattern of slowly evolving vortices which determine a physical tradeoff between feeding and swimming.

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: https://anpaglobal.org/conference/2023/ANPA2023-N00092