Dresden 2020 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 21: Cell Adhesion and Migration, Multicellular Systems I
BP 21.7: Talk
Wednesday, March 18, 2020, 11:45–12:00, HÜL 386
Encoding memory in biological network hierarchy — •Mirna Kramar1 and Karen Alim1,2 — 1Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, 37077 Göttingen, Germany — 2Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany
Remembering sources of food and threat is essential for survival. While higher animals rely on their nervous system, even very simple organisms are able to encode sensory information that aids them in tackling complex environments. The true slime mould Physarum polycephalum is a giant unicellular eukaryote whose body consists of a protoplasm-filled network of tubes which undergoes constant reorganization.The mechanism behind the reorganization of P. polycephalum body upon food encounter has not been explained previously. Here, we identify the imprint the food stimulus leaves on network morphology as memory and show that the network relies on tube growth and flows to encode stimulus information. We hypothesise an encoding mechanism introducing a local release of a chemical agent that affects the mechanical properties of the tubes and spreading through the network by protoplasmic flows. Using a theoretical model, we test our hypothesis and find the model yields a correct prediction of flow-dependent stimulus response. Finally, we investigate the role of network hierarchy in memory encoding and show that both hierarchy and the orientation of tubes are relevant in stimulus encoding. Our findings demonstrate P. polycephalum’s ability to encode memory and likely open doors to the use of the organism in bioinspired design.