BACKGROUND One hundred years ago, marine organisms were the dominant systems for the study of developmental biology. The challenges in rearing these organisms outside of a marine setting ultimately contributed to a shift towards work on a smaller number of so-called model systems. Those animals are typically non-marine organisms with advantages afforded by short life cycles, high fecundity, and relative ease in laboratory culture. However, a full understanding of biodiversity, evolution, and anthropogenic effects on biological systems requires a broader survey of development in the animal kingdom. To this day, marine organisms remain relatively understudied, particularly the members of the Lophotrochozoa (Spiralia), which include well over one third of the metazoan phyla (such as the annelids, mollusks, flatworms) and exhibit a tremendous diversity of body plans and developmental modes. To facilitate studies of this group, we have previously described the development and culture of one lophotrochozoan representative, the slipper snail Crepidula atrasolea, which is easy to rear in recirculating marine aquaria. Lab-based culture and rearing of larger populations of animals remain a general challenge for many marine organisms, particularly for inland laboratories. RESULTS Here, we describe the development of an automated marine aquatic rack system for the high-density culture of marine species, which is particularly well suited for rearing filter-feeding animals. Based on existing freshwater recirculating aquatic rack systems, our system is specific to the needs of marine organisms and incorporates robust filtration measures to eliminate wastes, reducing the need for regular water changes. In addition, this system incorporates sensors and associated equipment for automated assessment and adjustment of water quality. An automated feeding system permits precise delivery of liquid food (e.g., phytoplankton) throughout the day, mimicking real-life feeding conditions that contribute to increased growth rates and fecundity. CONCLUSION This automated system makes laboratory culture of marine animals feasible for both large and small research groups, significantly reducing the time, labor, and overall costs needed to rear these organisms.

中文翻译：

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用于饲养海洋无脊椎动物的自动化水产支架系统。

背景技术一百年前，海洋生物是发育生物学研究的主要系统。在海洋环境之外培育这些生物体所面临的挑战最终促使人们转向研究较少数量的所谓模型系统。这些动物通常是非海洋生物，具有生命周期短、繁殖力高和实验室培养相对容易等优点。然而，要充分了解生物多样性、进化和人为对生物系统的影响，需要对动物界的发展进行更广泛的调查。迄今为止，海洋生物的研究相对较少，特别是旋轮动物门（螺旋体）的成员，其中包括超过三分之一的后生动物门（如环节动物、软体动物、扁虫），并表现出巨大的身体结构和发育多样性。模式。为了促进该群体的研究，我们之前描述了一种轮轮动物代表——拖鞋蜗牛 Crepidula atrasolea 的发育和培养，这种蜗牛很容易在循环海洋水族馆中饲养。实验室培养和饲养大量动物仍然是许多海洋生物体面临的普遍挑战，特别是对于内陆实验室而言。结果在这里，我们描述了用于高密度养殖海洋物种的自动化海洋水产架系统的开发，该系统特别适合饲养滤食性动物。我们的系统基于现有的淡水循环水族架系统，专门针对海洋生物的需求，并采用强大的过滤措施来消除废物，减少定期换水的需要。此外，该系统还集成了传感器和相关设备，用于自动评估和调整水质。自动饲喂系统可以全天精确输送液体食物（例如浮游植物），模仿现实生活中的饲喂条件，有助于提高生长速度和繁殖力。结论 该自动化系统使大型和小型研究小组都可以在实验室培养海洋动物，从而显着减少培养这些生物体所需的时间、劳动力和总体成本。