Photogyrotactic Concentration of a Population of Swimming Microalgae Across a Porous Layer
Publication Date
2021-12-06Journal Title
Frontiers in Physics
ISSN
2296-424X
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Volume
9
Language
en
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Prakash, P., & Croze, O. (2021). Photogyrotactic Concentration of a Population of Swimming Microalgae Across a Porous Layer. Frontiers in Physics, 9 https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2021.744428
Abstract
<jats:p>The light environment controls the swimming of microalgae through a light-seeking and avoiding behaviour, which is known as phototaxis. In this work, we exploit phototaxis to control the migration and concentration of populations of the soil microalga <jats:italic>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</jats:italic>. By imaging a suspension of these microalgae in a cuvette illuminated from above by blue light, we study how phototaxis changes the stability of the suspension and demonstrate how a thin, porous layer at the top of the cuvette prevents phototaxing microalgae from sinking, leading to the up-concentration of the microalgae in the region above the porous layer. We discuss the potential implications of our findings for microalgae in biotechnological applications and the natural environment.</jats:p>
Keywords
Physics, microswimmers, microalgae, phototaxis, light environment, porous media, biotechnology
Identifiers
744428
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphy.2021.744428
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/332045
Rights
Licence:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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