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Tuazon H, David S, Ma K, Bhamla MS. Leeches Predate on Fast-Escaping and Entangling Blackworms by Spiral Entombment. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.14.594257. [PMID: 38798328 PMCID: PMC11118295 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.14.594257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
We investigate how the Helobdella spp. freshwater leeches capture and consume Lumbriculus variegatus blackworms despite the blackworm's ultrafast helical swimming escape reflex and ability to form large tangled 'blobs'. We describe our discovery of a unique spiral 'entombment' strategy used by these leeches to overcome the blackworms' active and collective defenses. Unlike their approach to less reactive and solitary prey like mollusks, where leeches simply attach and suck, Helobdella leeches employ this spiral entombment strategy specifically adapted for blackworms. Our findings highlight the complex interactions between predator and prey in freshwater ecosystems, providing insights into ecological adaptability and predator-prey dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Tuazon
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Samuel David
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - Kenneth Ma
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
| | - M. Saad Bhamla
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
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Zhu G, Gao L, Sun Y, Wei W, Yan LT. Non-equilibrium structural and dynamic behaviors of active polymers in complex and crowded environments. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2024; 87:054601. [PMID: 38608453 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/ad3e11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Active matter systems, which convert internal chemical energy or energy from the environment into directed motion, are ubiquitous in nature and exhibit a range of emerging non-equilibrium behaviors. However, most of the current works on active matter have been devoted to particles, and the study of active polymers has only recently come into the spotlight due to their prevalence within living organisms. The intricate interplay between activity and conformational degrees of freedom gives rise to novel structural and dynamical behaviors of active polymers. Research in active polymers remarkably broadens diverse concepts of polymer physics, such as molecular architecture, dynamics, scaling and so on, which is of significant importance for the development of new polymer materials with unique performance. Furthermore, active polymers are often found in strongly interacting and crowded systems and in complex environments, so that the understanding of this behavior is essential for future developments of novel polymer-based biomaterials. This review thereby focuses on the study of active polymers in complex and crowded environments, and aims to provide insights into the fundamental physics underlying the adaptive and collective behaviors far from equilibrium, as well as the open challenges that the field is currently facing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guolong Zhu
- School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Lijuan Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Yihang Sun
- School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenjie Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
| | - Li-Tang Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China
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Goldman DI, Zeb Rocklin D. Robot swarms meet soft matter physics. Sci Robot 2024; 9:eadn6035. [PMID: 38266103 DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adn6035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Principles of soft matter physics can be leveraged to develop swarms of active robots with unique properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel I Goldman
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - D Zeb Rocklin
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Tuazon H, Nguyen C, Kaufman E, Tiwari I, Bermudez J, Chudasama D, Peleg O, Bhamla MS. Collecting-Gathering Biophysics of the Blackworm Lumbriculus variegatus. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:1474-1484. [PMID: 37370237 PMCID: PMC10755170 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Many organisms exhibit collecting and gathering behaviors as a foraging and survival method. Benthic macroinvertebrates are classified as collector-gatherers due to their collection of particulate matter. Among these, the aquatic oligochaete Lumbriculus variegatus (California blackworms) demonstrates the ability to ingest both organic and inorganic materials, including microplastics. However, earlier studies have only qualitatively described their collecting behaviors for such materials. The mechanism by which blackworms consolidate discrete particles into a larger clump remains unexplored quantitatively. In this study, we analyze a group of blackworms in a large arena with an aqueous algae solution (organic particles) and find that their relative collecting efficiency is proportional to population size. We found that doubling the population size (N = 25-N = 50) results in a decrease in time to reach consolidation by more than half. Microscopic examination of individual blackworms reveals that both algae and microplastics physically adhere to the worm's body and form clumps due to external mucus secretions by the worms. Our observations also indicate that this clumping behavior reduces the worm's exploration of its environment, possibly due to thigmotaxis. To validate these observed biophysical mechanisms, we create an active polymer model of a worm moving in a field of particulate debris. We simulate its adhesive nature by implementing a short-range attraction between the worm and the nearest surrounding particles. Our findings indicate an increase in gathering efficiency when we add an attractive force between particles, simulating the worm's mucosal secretions. Our work provides a detailed understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying the collecting-gathering behavior in L. variegatus, informing the design of bioinspired synthetic collector systems, and advances our understanding of the ecological impacts of microplastics on benthic invertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry Tuazon
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Chantal Nguyen
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - Emily Kaufman
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Ishant Tiwari
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Jessica Bermudez
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Darshan Chudasama
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Orit Peleg
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
| | - M Saad Bhamla
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
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