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Preferential Sampling and Small-Scale Clustering of Gyrotactic Microswimmers in Turbulence
K Gustavsson1,2, F Berglund1, P R Jonsson3
1Department of Physics, Gothenburg University, SE-41296 Gothenburg, Sweden.
Physical Review Letters
|March 26, 2016
Summary
Organism shape influences how motile microorganisms behave in turbulent flows. Oblong microbes may favor up-welling areas, impacting their spatial distribution and clustering dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Fluid Dynamics
- Microbiology
- Statistical Physics
Background:
- Spherical motile microorganisms in turbulent flows tend to accumulate in down-welling regions.
- Gravitational torques play a role in the dynamics of these microorganisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analytically compute the effects of organism shape on dynamics, preferential sampling, and spatial clustering in turbulence.
- To understand how non-spherical shapes alter microorganism behavior compared to spherical ones.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of a statistical model.
- Analytical computation of microorganism dynamics under gravitational torques in turbulent flow.
Main Results:
- Oblong microorganisms may preferentially sample up-welling regions, unlike spherical ones.
- All studied organisms exhibit a bias towards regions with positive fluid-velocity gradients in the upward direction.
- Small-scale spatial clustering of oblong particles can be greater or lesser than spherical particles, contingent on gravitational torque strength.
Conclusions:
- Microorganism shape is a critical factor determining their distribution and clustering in turbulent environments.
- The findings provide insights into the collective behavior of motile microorganisms in complex fluid flows.
