Abstract
The fractal properties of specimens of a planar branching sponge Raspailia inaequalis (Porifera, Demospongiae) were determined by analysing digitised photographs. The specimens, collected from a single site in northeastern New Zealand, had a wide range of morphology. Three different fractal methods were used: box counting; a method that gives the scaling of branch length with distance from the base of the fan; and an allometric analysis of the dependence of frontal area on specimen size. All three approaches gave a similar value for the fractal dimension. The conjecture that the specimens have a fractal branching structure is consistent with the results of a Horton analysis of their branching pattern. There is a significant relationship between fractal dimension and number of fingers, which implies that a simple count of the number of fingers is as useful for discriminating between individuals as the more complex fractal analysis. Using this relation, sponges from a site with less water movement are inferred to have a lower fractal dimension. This result is in agreement with the predictions of the Kaandorp model of sponge growth.
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Received: 13 March 2000 / Accepted: 11 October 2000
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Abraham, E. The fractal branching of an arborescent sponge. Marine Biology 138, 503–510 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002270000479
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002270000479