The onset of bioconvection in a suspension of gyrotactic microorganisms in a fluid layer of finite depth heated from below

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of heating from below on the stability of a suspension of motile gyrotactic microorganisms in a fluid layer of finite depth. This problem is relevant to a number of geophysical applications, such as investigation of the dynamics of some species of thermophiles (heat-loving microorganisms) living in hot springs. It is established that heating from below makes the system more unstable and helps the development of bioconvection. By performing a linear stability analysis, a correlation for the critical bioconvection Rayleigh number is obtained. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.