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Many bacteria and phytoplankton are able to swim, relocating themselves to more favorable environments. Due to their small size, microbial motility strategies tend to have stochastic elements and are susceptible to hydrodynamic forces. The interaction between these miniature swimmers and their flowing environment, or with other swimmers, can thwart the original goals for swimming. We will examine examples of such interactions including corals that defend against pathogenic bacteria by inducing high shear flow near their surfaces, and the collective patterns formed by dense suspensions of bacteria attracted to a source of oxygen.
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