Berlin 2012 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 22: Statistical Physics of Biological Systems III (with DY)
BP 22.2: Talk
Thursday, March 29, 2012, 15:15–15:30, H 1058
Universal Network Percolation in the Slime Mold Physarum polycephalum — •Adrian Fessel1,2, Christina Oettmeier1,2, Erik Bernitt1,2, and Hans-Günther Döbereiner1,2 — 1Institut für Biophysik, Universität Bremen, 28334 Bremen, Germany — 2Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, 117411 Singapore, Singapore
The tubular vein network formed by the true slime mold Physarum polycephalum during its plasmodial phase has been subject to various recent studies. However, only the late stages of network growth have been thoroughly investigated. We analyze fusion-driven early morphogenesis of the plasmodial network via advanced digital image processing, revealing a prominent percolation transition universally present in biological networks. Physarum networks are grown from scattered microplasmodia on an agar-covered petri dish. Images are taken every minute over multiple days using a high-resolution digital camera. We found an exact solution to the percolation transition for small link degree which predicts the percentage of nodes observed in the largest component without an adjustable parameter.