The purpose of this chapter is to present an overview of the methods available to research scientists involved in field observations and inferential field and laboratory experiments concerning benthic suspension feeders. As well as hydrodynamics, the disciplines we consider are larval biology, physiology, ethology, and ecology. Because of space limitations, the methods described for each discipline could not be dealt with comprehensively. Instead, we have selected a few themes for each which we believe will be most useful for the novice research scientist trying to set up an interdisciplinary hydrodynamic/benthic biology study.

Previous reviews concerned with some aspects of hydrodynamics/benthic biological methodology involving suspension feeders have been presented in Vogel (1981, 1994), Denny (1988), and Jorgensen (1990). The content of each was briefly considered in Chapter 1, and we suggest that the appropriate book should be consulted for suitable methods if they are not included here.

A common difficulty for a research scientist in this field is to determine whether a laboratory or field experiment, or both, is the best approach to use in a particular research project. Thus, laboratory flume experiments are reductionist and yield simplified environments which are questionably realistic. On the other hand, field experiments provide realistic environmental conditions, but many of the variables cannot be controlled or replicated, rendering the results unique.