Overview
Dr. Houshuo Jiang's primary research interest is the interface between small-scale fluid physics and the ecology and biology of marine plankton.
Marine planktonic organisms are mostly microscopic and slow-moving relative to the macroscopic world. Thus, within the fluid immediately surrounding a plankter, the low-Reynolds-number fluid dynamics together with small-scale diffusion governs the transport of mass and momentum, thereby shaping the energy, matter, and information flows to and from the plankter. The small-scale fluid physics interfaces with the morphology, behavior, perception, response, and interaction of marine plankton to produce a variety of fascinating phenomena, patterns, processes, and functions that are fundamentally important to marine life, population and ecosystem functioning, and evolution.
The research in this burgeoning field requires multidisciplinary approaches and the synergies between fluid physics, plankton ecology, and biological oceanography, seeking mechanistic understanding based on first principles.
Research Areas
Hydrodynamics and Ecology of Planktonic Copepods
Small-scale Fluid Physics and Ecology of Planktonic Ciliates
Small-scale Fluid Physics and Ecology of Planktonic Dinoflagellates
Hydrodynamics of Swimming, Feeding, and Signaling in Marine Invertebrate Larvae
Hydrodynamics and Lateral Line Sensory Ecology of Fish
Hydrodynamics of Jet Propulsion in Marine Animals