TY - JOUR
T1 - A mathematical model for adaptive transport network in path finding by true slime mold
AU - Tero, Atsushi
AU - Kobayashi, Ryo
AU - Nakagaki, Toshiyuki
N1 - Funding Information:
We are grateful to Professor J. Keener for critical discussion and helpful suggestion. RK is supported by Grant-in-aid for Scientific Research NO. 16654017 of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. TN is supported by Grant-in-aid for Scientific Research NO. 15300098 of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
PY - 2007/2/21
Y1 - 2007/2/21
N2 - We describe here a mathematical model of the adaptive dynamics of a transport network of the true slime mold Physarum polycephalum, an amoeboid organism that exhibits path-finding behavior in a maze. This organism possesses a network of tubular elements, by means of which nutrients and signals circulate through the plasmodium. When the organism is put in a maze, the network changes its shape to connect two exits by the shortest path. This process of path-finding is attributed to an underlying physiological mechanism: a tube thickens as the flux through it increases. The experimental evidence for this is, however, only qualitative. We constructed a mathematical model of the general form of the tube dynamics. Our model contains a key parameter corresponding to the extent of the feedback regulation between the thickness of a tube and the flux through it. We demonstrate the dependence of the behavior of the model on this parameter.
AB - We describe here a mathematical model of the adaptive dynamics of a transport network of the true slime mold Physarum polycephalum, an amoeboid organism that exhibits path-finding behavior in a maze. This organism possesses a network of tubular elements, by means of which nutrients and signals circulate through the plasmodium. When the organism is put in a maze, the network changes its shape to connect two exits by the shortest path. This process of path-finding is attributed to an underlying physiological mechanism: a tube thickens as the flux through it increases. The experimental evidence for this is, however, only qualitative. We constructed a mathematical model of the general form of the tube dynamics. Our model contains a key parameter corresponding to the extent of the feedback regulation between the thickness of a tube and the flux through it. We demonstrate the dependence of the behavior of the model on this parameter.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jtbi.2006.07.015
DO - 10.1016/j.jtbi.2006.07.015
M3 - Article
C2 - 17069858
AN - SCOPUS:33846443614
SN - 0022-5193
VL - 244
SP - 553
EP - 564
JO - Journal of Theoretical Biology
JF - Journal of Theoretical Biology
IS - 4
ER -