Berlin 2024 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 21: Poster IIIb

BP 21.17: Poster

Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 11:00–14:30, Poster C

Reaction-diffusion models for growing skin patterns in cuttlefish — •Sigrid Trägenap, Feron Basoeki, and Matthias Kaschube — Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies

Cuttlefish exhibit unparalleled camouflage abilities supported by an array of chromatophores on their skin. These abilities persist throughout their lifespan, despite an at least 100-fold increase in body size and and chromatophore numbers. Recent advances (Reiter et al., Nature, 2018) allowed the identification and tracking of the chromatophore array over months. Their analysis revealed a typical distance between nearest neighbour chromatophores with unique local irregularities and that new chromatophores arise in gaps in the existing array. However, how this local irregularity arises and what local features predict chromatophore insertion remain unclear. Here, we address these questions by describing the development of the chromatophore array as an activator-inhibitor reaction-diffusion model on a growing domain. This can account for the experimentally observed distribution in distances between chromatophores, suggesting that a regular steady state is not reached due to the continuous growth. We find that chromatophores are inserted at the global inhibitor minima, predicting insertion locations for nonuniform growth. Additionally, such a model predicts an increased distance to the nearest neighbor chromatophore with development, explained by the overlapping ranges of Turing instabilities. This minimal model offers experimentally testable predictions and facilitates the identification of additional components necessary to fully describe chromatophore array development.

Keywords: Pattern formation; Development; Self-organization