Photogyrotactic Concentration of a Population of Swimming Microalgae Across a Porous Layer

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 Chlamydomonas reinhardtii . By imaging a suspens...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in physics 2021-12, Vol.9
Main Authors: Prakash, Praneet, Croze, Ottavio A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
biotechnology
light environment
microalgae
microswimmers
phototaxis
porous media
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Summary: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 Chlamydomonas reinhardtii . 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.
ISSN:2296-424X
2296-424X
DOI:10.3389/fphy.2021.744428