Title: Fluid dynamics within symbiotic systems

Abstract: To understand the fluid dynamics of marine symbiotic systems, systems composed of multiple organisms, fluid-structure interaction problems must be solved. Challenges exist in developing numerical methods to solve these flow problems with boundary conditions at fluid-structure interfaces. We are studying the impact of fluid flow on symbiotic systems within two different biological systems. (1) Pulsing soft corals, Xeniidae corals, that have internal algal endosymbionts, zooxanthellae, which provide them with much of their energy and (2) the bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, that depend on the luminous bacteria, Vibrio fischeri, to protect them from predators through counterillumination. Both of these problems are motivated by field and experimental work in the marine sciences. I will discuss these related data, mathematical models and numerical methods developed to study these problems and provide comparisons with the modeling.