A New Filter Feeding Model Incorporating the Critical Food Concentration

Abstract

A new set of equations was developed to descrine the filter feeding process, incorporating the critical food density at which the rate-limiting process changed. The set was coposed of two groups of equations; one for the process below the critical density and the other for that aove the densiy. Though the former has already been used, the alatter is new one. By the case study adopting the present model, the critical density estimated by the change in filtering rate was found to be usually lower than that by the change in ingestion rate. Three equations for the estimation of filtering rate and seven equations of ingestion rate were examined for error by the ratio of the estimate to that of present model, Although the present model is most suitable, a group of equations which are used in the present model at lower food densities is found most suitable when any two of the critical concentration, the maximal filtering rate and the maximal ingestion rate are not kmown. The group of equations will usually give estimarees of computational error less than 20 per cent, while some thers may give values more than one hundred times (or less than one humdredth) of the correct value.