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Comparative hydrodynamics of bacterial polymorphism.

Saverio E Spagnolie1, Eric Lauga

  • 1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0411, USA.

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Summary
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The most common bacterial flagellum shape, the normal form, is the most hydrodynamically efficient for locomotion. This finding highlights the role of fluid mechanics in bacterial flagellar evolution.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biophysics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Bacteria utilize helical flagella for motility in fluid environments.
  • Flagella exhibit 12 distinct polymorphic shapes, with the normal form being most common for forward swimming.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hydrodynamic efficiency of different bacterial flagellar polymorphic shapes.
  • To understand the prevalence and evolutionary significance of the normal flagellar form.

Main Methods:

  • Compiled experimental measurements of bacterial flagellar forms.
  • Calculated intrinsic hydrodynamic efficiencies for each polymorphic shape.

Main Results:

  • The normal helical flagellar form demonstrated significantly higher hydrodynamic efficiency compared to the other 11 forms.
  • This efficiency advantage was consistent across peritrichous and polar flagellar types and robust to changes in flagellar dimensions.

Conclusions:

  • The normal flagellar form's superior efficiency likely drove its prevalence in bacterial locomotion.
  • Fluid mechanical forces played a crucial role in the evolutionary selection of bacterial flagellar morphology.