Testing the function of productide brachiopod spines on arenaceous substrates using 3D printed models

Brachiopods of the Suborder Productidina vary in spine morphology; two end-members are (a) multiple short spines, and (b) few long spines. Although the short and highly dense spine morphology was very common, its function has not been tested. We analyzed the effects of the short spine morphology on shell stability and scour production on a moving substrate (coarse sand; a frequent substrate for these taxa), in a recirculating flume. The...