Modeling biofilm processes using the immersed boundary method (Q2564459)

We describe how the complex, dynamic, fluid-structure interaction can be modeled using the immersed boundary method. The method presented includes the coupling of hydrodynamics, substrate reaction, diffusion, and convection, as well as the chemotactic response of swimming microbes. Cell-cell aggregation and cell-substratum adhesion are modeled by generating appropriate binding forces between discrete representations of organisms. Using the two-dimensional numerical simulations, we demonstrate different types of scenarios.