Bacterial hydrodynamics

TL;DR

This paper reviews how low-Reynolds-number hydrodynamics governs bacterial motility, highlighting the biomechanics of flagella-driven swimming and its significance in bacterial behavior and interactions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of bacterial hydrodynamics, integrating fluid mechanics with microbiology to elucidate motility mechanisms and future research directions.

Findings

Hydrodynamics critically influences bacterial swimming behavior.

Flagella generate propulsion through low-Reynolds-number fluid dynamics.

Understanding hydrodynamics aids in exploring bacterial interactions and environments.

Abstract

Bacteria predate plants and animals by billions of years. Today, they are the world's smallest cells yet they represent the bulk of the world's biomass, and the main reservoir of nutrients for higher organisms. Most bacteria can move on their own, and the majority of motile bacteria are able to swim in viscous fluids using slender helical appendages called flagella. Low-Reynolds-number hydrodynamics is at the heart of the ability of flagella to generate propulsion at the micron scale. In fact, fluid dynamic forces impact many aspects of bacteriology, ranging from the ability of cells to reorient and search their surroundings to their interactions within mechanically and chemically-complex environments. Using hydrodynamics as an organizing framework, we review the biomechanics of bacterial motility and look ahead to future challenges.