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Undulatory Swimming in Complex & Heterogeneous Media

Paulo Arratia (University of Pennsylvania)

Hydrodynamics of Swimming Microorganisms

Tue 2:40 - 4:00

Barus-Holley 191

Many fluids in which microorganisms move, feed, and reproduce are complex and possess an internal structure (e.g. polymer networks). Examples include wet soil, human mucus, gels, and tissues. In this talk, I will show experiments in which the effects of polymer concentration, spanning the dilute and concentrated regimes, on the swimming behavior of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans using tracking methods and velocimetry. Results show a 40% increase in the nematode’s swimming speed once immersed in a concentrated solution; that is, the propulsion speed is enhanced by fluid viscosity. This enhancement seems to be related to the dynamics of rod-like polymer networks formed in concentrated solutions.