Fig. 3: Optimal cilia coverage in sessile and motile cells at given feeding fractions.
From: Flow physics of nutrient transport drives functional design of ciliates
Feeding flux Q and Sherwood number Sh versus cilia coverage Ac for (A, B). feeding fraction Af = 10% and (C, D). feeding fraction Af = 30%. Feeding flux Q is obtained by integrating fluid velocity over a disk aligned with the feeding region (A inset). Maximal Q and Sh (marked by open circles and squares, respectively) occur at the same cilia fraction Ac, representing a ciliary band around the feeding fraction for both motile and sessile ciliate, at Af = 10%, whereas at Af = 30%, optimal cilia fraction bifurcates from ciliary bands for sessile cells to ciliary covering the remaining cell surface in motile cells. Q-optimal flow streamlines (blue lines) and speed (colormap) are shown in lab frame to the right of panels (A, C); Sh-optimal streamlines (white lines) and concentration field (colormap) are shown in body frame to the right of panels (B, D). Scale bars in all panels represent a length of 100 μm.
