BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Dispersion\, growth and symbiosis of swimming algae and bacteria -
  Otti Croze\, Plant Metabolism
DTSTART:20130301T130000Z
DTEND:20130301T133000Z
UID:TALK42766@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:24938
DESCRIPTION:Many microorganisms have evolved the ability to swim and bias 
 their swimming to find nutrients and favourable conditions for growth. For
  example\, several species of swimming bacteria from all environments (aqu
 atic\, intestinal\, rhizobial\, ...) can efficiently move up gradients of 
 chemical attractants. Swimming algae can also get themselves to optimally 
 lit environs by phototaxis (a benefit for phototrophs!). As a postdoc\, I 
 have studied the biophysics of such swimming biases\, focusing on populati
 on-scale behaviour. At this scale unexpected phenomena emerge from the bia
 sed swimming of individual cells. For example\, suspensions of bottom-heav
 y biflagellate algae (e.g. Chlamydomonas or Dunaliella) are unstable\, bre
 aking up into beautiful patterns. I will introduce how the biophysics in t
 erms of which these phenomena can be explained and modelled. Then I will p
 resent my results on the dispersion of bacteria in porous gels and of alga
 l suspensions flowed in a pipe. Finally\, I will talk about my current res
 earch on the role biased swimming plays in algal-bacterial symbioses and i
 n the design of efficient algal bioreactors.
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR