GROWTH OF PATTERNS IN A MULTICELLULAR CHEMICAL-SYSTEM AND THEIR RESPONSES TO BOUNDARIES

The generation and growth of filaments and tubes in multicellular chem ical systems is studied numerically. Filaments and tubes are formed by the interactions between the moving chemical front and the inhomogene ous chemical medium. Depending on the system parameters, tubes respond differently to the impermeable boundaries or to already developed pat terns. These tubes may be stopped by the boundary, change the directio n of growth, or develop branches forming skeleton-type structures. Som e relationships among these phenomena and new directions in materials science are suggested.