Optimal kinematics and morphologies for spermatozoa

Author(s)
Tam, Daniel See-Wai; Hosoi, Anette E.
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Abstract
We investigate the role of hydrodynamics in the evolution of the morphology and the selection of kinematics in simple uniflagellated microorganisms. We find that the most efficient swimming strategies are characterized by symmetrical, nonsinusoidal bending waves propagating from the base of the head to the tip of the tail. In addition, we show that the ideal tail-to-head length ratio for such a swimmer is ≈12 and that this predicted ratio is consistent with data collected from over 400 species of mammalian sperm.
Date issued
2011-04
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/65409
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mathematics; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Journal
Physical Review E
Publisher
American Physical Society
Citation
Tam, Daniel, and A. Hosoi. “Optimal Kinematics and Morphologies for Spermatozoa.” Physical Review E 83.4 (2011) ©2011 American Physical Society
Version: Final published version
ISSN
1539-3755
1550-2376
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