Interaction between cell shape and contraction pattern in the Physarum plasmodium

Nakagaki, Toshiyuki; Yamada, Hiroyasu; Ueda, Tetsuo

doi:10.1016/s0301-4622(00)00108-3

Cited by 173 publications

(120 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Tubular structures are formed in a specific direction when shuttle streaming of the protoplasm, which is driven by hydrostatic pressure induced by rhythmic contraction, persists in that direction for a certain period (Nakagaki et al 2000b). This experimental result could be explained at a molecular level.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Obtaining multiple separate food sources: behavioural intelligence in the Physarum plasmodium

Nakagaki

Kobayashi

Nishiura

et al. 2004

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

204

153

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To evaluate performance in a complex survival task, we studied the morphology of the Physarum plasmodium transportation network when presented with multiple separate food sources. The plasmodium comprises a network of tubular elements through which chemical nutrient, intracellular signals and the viscous body are transported and circulated. When three separate food sources were presented, located at the vertices of a triangle, the tubular network connected them via a short pathway, which was often analogous to the mathematically shortest route known as Steiner's minimum tree (SMT). The other common network shape had high fault tolerance against accidental disconnection of the tubes and was known as cycle (CYC). Pattern selection appeared to be a bistable system involving SMT and CYC. When more than three food sources were presented, the network pattern tended to be a patchwork of SMT and CYC. We therefore concluded that the plasmodium tube network is a well designed and intelligent system.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Obtaining multiple separate food sources: behavioural intelligence in the Physarum plasmodium

Nakagaki

Kobayashi

Nishiura

et al. 2004

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

204

153

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Tubular structures are formed in a specific direction when shuttle streaming of the protoplasm, driven by hydrostatic pressure due to rhythmic contractions, persists in that direction for a certain period (Nakagaki et al, 2000b). This experimental result can be explained at the molecular level.…”

Section: Physiological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 95%

A mathematical model for adaptive transport network in path finding by true slime mold

Tero

Kobayashi

Nakagaki

2007

Journal of Theoretical Biology

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369

354

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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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“…For a given set of conductivities and source and sink, the flux through each of the network edges can be computed. In Physarum, the radii of the tubes change in response to this flux [10,14], and in the model the conductivities evolve according to the equation…”

Section: Mathematical Model For a Tube Network Adaptive To Flowmentioning

confidence: 99%

Flow-network adaptation in Physarum amoebae

et al. 2008

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Understanding how biological systems solve problems could aid the design of novel computational methods. Information processing in unicellular eukaryotes is of particular interest, as these organisms have survived for more than a billion years using a simple system. The large amoeboid plasmodium of Physarum is able to solve a maze and to connect multiple food locations via a smart network. The current study examined how Physarum amoebae compute these solutions. The mechanism involves the adaptation of the tubular body, which appears to be similar to a network, based on cell dynamics. Our model describes how the network of tubes expands and contracts depending on the flux of protoplasmic streaming, and reproduces experimental observations of the behavior of the organism. The proposed algorithm based on Physarum is both simple and powerful.

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Interaction between cell shape and contraction pattern in the Physarum plasmodium

Cited by 173 publications

References 22 publications

Obtaining multiple separate food sources: behavioural intelligence in the Physarum plasmodium

Obtaining multiple separate food sources: behavioural intelligence in the Physarum plasmodium

A mathematical model for adaptive transport network in path finding by true slime mold

Flow-network adaptation in Physarum amoebae

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