Fluid circulation driven by collectively organized metachronal waves in swimming T. aceti nematodes

Abstract

Recent experiments have shown that the nematode T. aceti can assemble into collectively undulating groups at the edge of fluid drops. This coordinated state consists of metachronal waves and drives fluid circulation inside the drop. We find that the circulation velocity is about 2 mm/s and nearly half the speed of the metachronal wave. We develop a quasi two-dimensional hydrodynamics model using the Stokes flow approximation. The periodic motion of the nematodes constitute our moving boundary condition that drives the flow. Our model suggests that large amplitude excursions of the nematodes tails produce the fluid circulation. We discuss the constraints on containers that would enhance fluid motion, which could be used in the future design of on demand flow generating systems.

Forceful patterning: theoretical principles of mechanochemical pattern formation

“…Equation (16) is an equation for discrete oscillators, which is the form mostly used for studying metachronal waves. Some studies, however, use continuous phase equations, where the phase is given by a field (Fig 5G, Chakrabarti et al (2022) and Quillen (2023)). Interestingly, continuous phase equations with non‐local coupling also appear in models of collections of neurons, where long‐range interactions are due to the spatial extent of axons (e.g., Crook et al , 1997).…”