SKM 2023 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 21: Active Matter III (joint session BP/CPP/DY)

CPP 21.5: Talk

Tuesday, March 28, 2023, 10:30–10:45, TOE 317

Unraveling the migratory behavior of a large single-celled organism — •Lucas Tröger, Florian Goirand, and Karen Alim — School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Germany

Many cells face search problems, such as finding food, conspecifics, or shelter, and different search strategies can provide different chances for success. In contrast to most single-celled organisms the slime mold Physarum polycephalum forms a giant network-shaped cell while foraging for food. Which advantage does the giant cell at the verge to multicellularity provide? We experimentally investigate and quantify the long-time migratory behavior of small networks of P. polycephalum in the absence and in the presence of food, and develop a simple mechanistic model that successfully describes its migration. We find that P. polycephalum performs a run-and-tumble-like motion modified by self-avoidance to achieve superdiffusive migration. Furthermore, it tunes its short-time dynamics in order to adapt to environments with different amounts of available nutrients, while its long-time dynamics remain unchanged. This work shows how P. polycephalum controls the inherent stochasticity of its movement by simple rules, which may represent an evolutionary advantage.