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Modelling run-and-tumble chemotaxis in a shear flow
1Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, U.K. R.Bearon@damtp.cam.ac.uk
Bulletin of Mathematical Biology
|August 12, 2000
Summary
Microbial chemotaxis, like that of Escherichia coli, is affected by fluid flow. This study models how shear flow influences bacterial movement and density, revealing a coupling between rotation and chemotaxis.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Fluid Dynamics
- Biophysics
Background:
- Chemotactic bacteria exhibit biased random walks influenced by environmental factors.
- Fluid flow at the microscale can significantly alter bacterial behavior and distribution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To model the effects of simple shear flow on swimming bacteria.
- To investigate the coupling between bacterial rotation and chemotaxis.
- To develop a method for calculating chemotactic flux in unbounded regions.
Main Methods:
- Modeling bacterial advection and rotation in shear flow.
- Deriving an advection-diffusion equation for cell density under small chemotactic response.
- Developing an alternative method for chemotactic flux calculation.
Main Results:
- An advection-diffusion equation for cell density was obtained, demonstrating a coupling between rotation and chemotaxis for small responses.
- A new method for calculating chemotactic flux in unbounded regions was presented.
Conclusions:
- Shear flow significantly impacts bacterial chemotaxis at the microscopic level.
- The derived advection-diffusion equation provides insights into the interplay of flow, rotation, and chemotaxis.
- The alternative flux calculation method offers broader applicability for studying bacterial responses.