Figure 3.

Mussels in flow experience a combination of lift and drag. (Left) Shown is a mussel in stationary water with an idealized byssus in which radial, equidistant threads of the same length form a small angle θ with the surface. (Right) Lift is force applied normal to the surface, whereas drag is force applied parallel to the surface. The location of the thread-to-plaque connection is biased toward the plaque’s proximal edge.