Natural drinking strategies

We examine the fluid mechanics of drinking in nature. We classify the drinking strategies of a broad range of creatures according to the principal forces involved, and present physical pictures for each style. Simple scaling arguments are developed and tested against existing data. While suction is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of fluid mechanics Vol. 705; pp. 7 - 25
Main Authors Kim, Wonjung, Bush, John W. M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 25.08.2012
Subjects
Biological and medical sciences
Biomechanics. Biorheology
Biomimetics
Capillarity
Classification
Constraints
Drinking
Fluid mechanics
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Microorganisms
Optimization
Pictures
Strategy
Tissues, organs and organisms biophysics
flow–vessel interactions
micro-organism dynamics
peristaltic pumping
Animal drinking
Fluid mechanics
Biological fluid
Biological fluid dynamics
Biomimetics
Aspiration
Classification
Strategy
Capillary flow
Peristaltic flow
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Summary:We examine the fluid mechanics of drinking in nature. We classify the drinking strategies of a broad range of creatures according to the principal forces involved, and present physical pictures for each style. Simple scaling arguments are developed and tested against existing data. While suction is the most common drinking strategy, various alternative styles have evolved among creatures whose morphological, physiological and environmental constraints preclude it. Particular attention is given to creatures small relative to the capillary length, whose drinking styles rely on relatively subtle interfacial effects. We also discuss attempts to rationalize various drinking strategies through consideration of constrained optimization problems. Some biomimetic applications are discussed.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:0022-1120
1469-7645
DOI:10.1017/jfm.2012.122