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Directional Hydrodynamic Sensing by Free-Swimming Organisms
Daisuke Takagi1, Daniel K Hartline2
1Department of Mathematics, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2565 McCarthy Mall, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA. dtakagi@hawaii.edu.
Bulletin of Mathematical Biology
|December 2, 2017
Summary
Free-swimming aquatic organisms can detect predators using flow deformations. Our theory explains how local flow information helps organisms estimate predator characteristics and guides escape strategies.
Area of Science:
- Hydrodynamics
- Biophysics
- Sensory Ecology
Background:
- Aquatic organisms detect predators via hydrodynamic disturbances.
- Free-swimming organisms face challenges in detecting surrounding flow due to being carried by it.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a theory clarifying information available to free-swimming organisms from local flow deformations.
- To determine how organisms can extract information about attacking predators from flow deformations alone.
Main Methods:
- Developed a theoretical framework for analyzing hydrodynamic information.
- Applied the theory to planktonic copepods with mechanosensory antennules.
Main Results:
- Theory shows organisms can reduce uncertainty in predator location, speed, size, and arrival time using flow deformations.
- Identified
- blind spots
- or ambiguities in predator detection (e.g., attack side, bow wave vs. suction).
Conclusions:
- Local flow deformation analysis provides valuable information for free-swimming organisms.
- Findings yield testable hypotheses for prey escape strategies and bio-inspired robot design.
