Data from: The effect of external flow on 3D orientation of a microscopic sessile suspension feeder, Vorticella convallaria

Vorticella convallaria are microscopic sessile suspension feeders that
live attached to substrates in aquatic environments. They feed using a
self‐generated current and help maintain the health of aquatic ecosystems
and wastewater treatment facilities by consuming bacteria and detritus.
Their environmental impact is mediated by their feeding rate. In ambient
flow, feeding rates are highly dependent on an individual's
orientation relative to the substrate and the flow. Here, we investigate
how this orientation is impacted by flow speed. Furthermore, we examined
whether individuals actively avoid orientations unfavorable for feeding.
We exposed individuals to unidirectional laminar flow at shear rates of 0,
0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 s−1, and recorded their 3D orientation using a custom
biplanar microscope. We determined that V. convallaria orientation became
progressively tilted downstream as the shear rate increased, but
individuals were still able to actively reorient. Additionally, at higher
shear rates, individuals spent a larger fraction of their time in
orientations with reduced feeding rates. Our shear rates correspond to
freestream flows on the scale of mm s−1 to cm s−1 in natural environments.