Gibson, Brandt MChipman, MaxAttanasio, PaoloQureshi, ZaidDarroch, Simon AFRahman, Imran ALaflamme, Marc2024-03-182024-03-182023-11-222023-06-03Gibson Brandt M., Chipman Max, Attanasio Paolo, Qureshi Zaid, Darroch Simon A. F., Rahman Imran A. and Laflamme Marc 2023Reconstructing the feeding ecology of Cambrian sponge reefs: the case for active suspension feeding in ArchaeocyathaR. Soc. Open Sci.10230766230766 http://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.23076610.1098/rsos.230766http://hdl.handle.net/10141/623073Sponge-grade Archaeocyatha were early Cambrian biomineralizing metazoans that constructed reefs globally. Despite decades of research, many facets of archaeocyath palaeobiology remain unclear, making it difficult to reconstruct the palaeoecology of Cambrian reef ecosystems. Of specific interest is how these organisms fed; previous experimental studies have suggested that archaeocyaths functioned as passive suspension feeders relying on ambient currents to transport nutrient-rich water into their central cavities. Here, we test this hypothesis using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of digital models of select archaeocyath species. Our results demonstrate that, given a range of plausible current velocities, there was very little fluid circulation through the skeleton, suggesting obligate passive suspension feeding was unlikely. Comparing our simulation data with exhalent velocities collected from extant sponges, we infer an active suspension feeding lifestyle for archaeocyaths. The combination of active suspension feeding and biomineralization in Archaeocyatha may have facilitated the creation of modern metazoan reef ecosystems. The attached file is the published version of the article.enopenAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Journal Article2054-5703Royal Society Open Science2023-11-231011palaeontologyArchaeocyathaCambriancomputational fluid dynamicsreefssuspension feeding