Swimming of a model ciliate near an air-liquid interface

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2013 Jun;87(6):063010. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.87.063010. Epub 2013 Jun 17.

Abstract

In this work, the role of the hydrodynamic forces on a swimming microorganism near an air-liquid interface is studied. The lubrication theory is utilized to analyze hydrodynamic effects within the narrow gap between a flat interface and a small swimmer. By using an archetypal low-Reynolds-number swimming model called "squirmer," we find that the magnitude of the vertical swimming velocity is on the order of O(εlnε), where ε is the ratio of the gap width to the swimmer's body size. The reduced swimming velocity near an interface can explain experimental observations of the aggregation of microorganisms near a liquid interface.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Air
  • Biological Clocks / physiology*
  • Ciliophora / physiology*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Lubrication
  • Models, Biological*
  • Rheology / methods*
  • Shear Strength / physiology
  • Solutions
  • Swimming / physiology*

Substances

  • Solutions