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Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series
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Flagellar swimmers oscillate between pusher- and puller-type swimming
Gary S Klindt1, Benjamin M Friedrich1
1Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden, Germany.
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|January 15, 2016
Summary
Cellular microswimmers like Chlamydomonas exhibit dynamic flow signatures, oscillating between pusher and puller types. This neutral swimming behavior influences hydrodynamic interactions and energy dissipation.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Fluid Dynamics
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cellular microswimmers generate characteristic flow signatures (pusher/puller types) that dictate hydrodynamic interactions.
- Understanding these flow dynamics is crucial for comprehending cellular behavior in microenvironments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the hydrodynamic signature of the green alga Chlamydomonas using experimental beat patterns.
- To investigate the temporal dynamics of hydrodynamic interactions and energy dissipation in microswimming.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing experimentally measured flagellar beat patterns of Chlamydomonas.
- Computing flow signatures and hydrodynamic interactions over the full beat cycle.
- Analyzing the attenuation of microflows due to inertia at different distances.
Main Results:
- Chlamydomonas oscillates between pusher and puller types, acting as a neutral swimmer over its full beat cycle.
- Hydrodynamic interactions oscillate in time, comparable in magnitude to stochastic swimming fluctuations.
- Inertia attenuates oscillatory microflows beyond 100μm.
- Hydrodynamic dissipation rate varies temporally, suggesting flagellar patterns are not optimized for this measure.
Conclusions:
- Chlamydomonas's dynamic swimming behavior influences its interactions and the surrounding fluid.
- Temporal variations in hydrodynamic interactions and dissipation highlight the complexity of microswimmer dynamics.
- The findings provide insights into the physical principles governing microscale biological systems.
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