Berlin 2018 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 10: Postersession II

BP 10.50: Poster

Monday, March 12, 2018, 17:30–19:30, Poster C

Does peristaltic pumping account for mass transport in Physarum polycephalum? — •Felix Bäuerle and Karen Alim — Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen, Germany

Physarum polycephalum, the infamous "intelligent" slime mold, has proven time and time again that it can solve complex problems. For example, it is able to find the shortest path through a maze, connect food sources in an efficient fashion or choose a balanced diet. In all of these efforts the adaptation of the morphology to a changing environment is the key. In detail cytoplasmic flows transport cytosolic fluid from pruning regions to growing ones. At the same time a peristaltic wave of contractions spans the whole body plan. Can this traveling wave generate enough pressure to account for the relatively fast reorganisation speed in P. polycephalum? While the contractions are known to account for the shuttle streaming, no investigations have been done so far on the net flow. We are presenting calculations of flow stemming from the contraction patterns in stimulated plasmodia and relate these to the morphology reorganisation.