A fluid dynamics multidimensional model of biofilm growth: stability, influence of environment and sensitivity

Abstract

In this article, we study in detail the fluid dynamics system proposed in Clarelli et al. (2013, J. Math. Biol., 66, 1387–1408) to model the formation of cyanobacteria biofilms. After analysing the linear stability of the unique non-trivial equilibrium of the system, we introduce in the model the influence of light and temperature, which are two important factors for the development of a cyanobacteria biofilm. Since the values of the coefficients we use for our simulations are estimated through information found in the literature, some sensitivity and robustness analyses on these parameters are performed. All these elements enable us to control and to validate the model we have already derived and to present some numerical simulations in the 2D and the 3D cases.