Berlin 2005 – scientific programme

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AKB: Biologische Physik

AKB 200: Poster Session II

AKB 200.53: Poster

Tuesday, March 8, 2005, 17:00–19:00, Poster TU C

The effect of biological variability on spatiotemporal patterns in a chain of biochemical oscillators: numerical simulations and Eigenvalue analysis — •Tetyana Morokhovska and Marc-Thorsten Hütt — Bioinformatics Group, Department of Biology, Darmstadt University, Schnittspahnstr. 3-5, D-64287 Darmstadt

Noise has an important effect on spatiotemporal patterns in biological systems. In contrast to noise, biological variability (or disorder) is a static system property. Nevertheless it can have dynamical implications, as the magnitude and the statistical properties of the biological variability influence the capabilities of the elements to synchronize or form patterns. We study such influences in a chain of coupled nonlinear oscillators, each of which can be thought of as a simple form of oscillating biochemical reaction. In addition to numerical simulations, where spatiotemporal patterns are quantified with methods from information theory, we also present results on Eigenvalue distributions, which arise from biological variability in the system’s parameters.

The simulations show that under certain conditions an increase in variability can induce spatial waves and complex spatiotemporal patterns. In particular, it is seen that the mutual information quantifying the complexity of the spatiotemporal patterns can depend resonantly on variability.

Eigenvalues for this system are studied both numerically and with algebraic methods based on Sturm sequences and the Routh-Hurwitz criterion. We show that certain aspects of the spatiotemporal patterns can be understood qualitatively on the level of Eigenvalue distributions.