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Abstract

Wavelike patterns driving transport are ubiquitous in life. Peristaltic pumps are a paradigm of efficient
mass transport by contraction driven flows—often limited by energetic constraints. We show that a costefficient increase in pumping performance can be achieved by modulating the phase difference between
harmonics to increase occlusion. In experiments we find a phase difference shift in the living peristalsis
model P. polycephalum as dynamic response to forced mass transport. Our findings provide a novel metric
for wavelike patterns and demonstrate the crucial role of nonlinearities in life.