Rachel Bennett

Hydrodynamic Coordination in Biology

Fluid flow and mechanical forces play an important role in the behaviour of biological systems. I will show an example of how motion generated at an individual cell level can be coordinated across hundreds of cells due to hydrodynamic interactions. On surfaces with many cilia, individual cilia coordinate their beat cycles in the form of metachronal waves. The coordinated beating facilitates self-propulsion of ciliated microorganisms and creates efficient fluid flow, which is important in several human organs. Here, we consider the connection between single cilium characteristics and the collective behaviour. A theoretical framework is presented using an array of model cilia coordinated by hydrodynamic interactions. This framework shows how properties of the emergent wave depend on the geometric properties of cilia in the array and the beat pattern of an individual cilium.