Wavelengths of bioconvection patterns

Bioconvection occurs as the result of the collective behaviour of many micro-organisms swimming in a fluid and is realised as patterns similar to those of thermal convection which occur when a layer of water is heated from below. A methodology is developed to record the bioconvection patterns that are formed by aqueous cultures of the single-celled alga Chlamydomonas nivalis. The analysis that is used to quantify the patterns as a function of cell concentration, suspension depth and time is described and experimental results are presented.