2023/01/23 by Anupam Sengupta, Sengupta, Anupam · 1 citation
Energy · Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Algal biology and biofuel production #Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn) #Micro and Nano Robotics #Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) #Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2301.09550
openalex publication_date 2023/01/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Planktonic active matter represents an emergent system spanning different scales: individual, population and community; and complexity arising from sub-cellular and cellular to collective and ecosystem scale dynamics. This cross-scale active matter system responds to a range of abiotic (temperature, fluid flow and light conditions) and biotic factors (nutrients, pH, secondary metabolites) characteristic to the relevant ecosystems they are part of. Active modulation of cell phenotypes, including morphology, motility, and intracellular organization enable planktonic microbes to dynamically interact with other individuals and species; and adapt - often rapidly - to the changes in their environment. In this chapter, I discuss both traditional and contemporary approaches to study the dynamics of this multi-scale active matter system from a mechanistic standpoint, with specific references to their local settings and their ability to actively tune the behaviour and physiology, and the emergent structures and functions they elicit under natural ecological constraints as well as due to the shifting climatic trends.