Abstract: Simulations of Chemical Concentration around Pulsing Soft Corals

Abstract: Simulations of Chemical Concentration around Pulsing Soft Corals

Soft corals in the family Xenia rhythmically pulse their tentacles. They are one of the few animals who move in this fashion for a purpose other than locomotion. It is hypothesized that the pulsing enhances the photosynthesis of their symbiotic algae, giving the coral additional energy. There is evidence that photosynthesis is an oxygen-limited process in this system, so we seek to understand the pulsing behavior’s effect on oxygen removal using numerical simulation.