A physical explanation of the temperature dependence of physiological processes mediated by cilia and flagella

Humphries, Stuart

Abstract

The majority of biological rates are known to exhibit temperature dependence. Here I reveal a direct link between temperature and ecologically relevant rates such as swimming speeds in Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryotes as well as fluid-pumping and filtration rates in many metazoans, and show that this relationship is driven by movement rates of cilia and flagella. I develop models of the temperature dependence of cilial and flagellar movement rates and evaluate these with an extensive compilation of data from the literature. The model captures the temperature dependence of viscosity and provides a mechanistic and biologically interpretable explanation for the temperature dependence of a range of ecologically relevant processes; it also reveals a clear dependence on both reaction rate-like processes and the physics of the environment. The incorporation of viscosity allows further insight into the effects of environmental temperature variation and of processes, such as disease, that affect the viscosity of blood or other body fluids.

Citation

Humphries, S. (2013). A physical explanation of the temperature dependence of physiological processes mediated by cilia and flagella. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(36), 14693-14698. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1300891110

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 16, 2013
• Online Publication Date: Aug 19, 2013
• Publication Date: Sep 3, 2013
• Deposit Date: Nov 13, 2014
• Publicly Available Date: May 3, 2018
• Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
• Print ISSN: 0027-8424
• Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 110
• Issue: 36
• Pages: 14693-14698
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1300891110
• Keywords: Cilia; Flagella; Thermal physiology; Arrhenius
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/470570
• Publisher URL: http://www.pnas.org/content/110/36/14693
• Contract Date: Nov 23, 2017