Saminu Iliyasu Bala

Kinematic simulation of prey perception in plankton using hydromechanical signals as a means of detection

When two planktonic microorganisms are in close proximity, the geometry of the surrounding flow field is distorted and this gives rise to hydromechanical disturbances. Copepods can sense these disturbances and utilize them to detect the presence of other microorganisms in the vicinity. In this paper we formulated a kinematic simulation model of prey detection by copepods under small scale turbulence. The results of our analysis have shown that the detection (contact) distance is a dynamic entity rather a fixed number.

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Energetic Advantages of Pause-Travel At Low Speeds

Some larval fish species do not swim continuously but forage using intermittent locomotion pattern which consist of relatively high speed swimming interspersed by pauses. This type of locomotion is known as pause-travel. In this paper, a mathematical model that examines the advantages of pause-travel over continuous swimming is developed. The results of the present calculations show that pause-travel is an efficient strategy to adopt over certain range of travel speeds.

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On the hydrodynamic interactions between two spheres in stokes flow

This paper examines the interactions between two spheres in an unbounded fluid. Using bispherical coordinates, no-slip and far-field boundary conditions, an exact solution of Stokes equations for the translational motion of two spheres of arbitrary size and arbitrary orientation with respect to their directions of motion are obtained. This solution is in form of truncated infinite series. The various hydrodynamic forces exerted on the spheres are calculated.

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