  Effective methods of fluid transport vary across scale. A commonly used
dimensionless number for quantifying the effective scale of fluid transport is
the Reynolds number, Re, which gives the ratio of inertial to viscous forces.
What may work well for one Re regime may not produce significant flows for
another. These differences in scale have implications for many organisms,
ranging from the mechanics of how organisms move through their fluid
environment to how hearts pump at various stages in development. Some
organisms, such as soft pulsing corals, actively contract their tentacles to
generate mixing currents that enhance photosynthesis. Their unique morphology
and intermediate scale where both viscous and inertial forces are significant
make them a unique model organism for understanding fluid mixing. In this
paper, 3D fluid-structure interaction simulations of a pulsing soft coral are
used to quantify fluid transport and fluid mixing across a wide range of Re.
The results show that net transport is negligible for $Re<10$, and continuous
upward flow is produced for $Re\geq 10$.

Quantitative Methods