THE ORIGINS OF SPATIAL HETEROGENEITY IN VEGETATIVE MYCELIA - A REACTION-DIFFUSION MODEL

Fungal mycelia are obviously heterogeneous structures, which is a key feature oi their adaptability to grow in complex environments. A mathe matical model is presented which facilitates assessment of the role of exogenous and endogenous factors in generating such heterogeneous str uctures. The model is compared with experimental systems where mycelia were grown in spatially uniform and non-uniform nutrient environments . The fractal nature of mycelia and the response of the structure to a spatially heterogeneous nutrient distribution are reproduced. We show that the nutrient availability plays a decisive role in determining b oth the fractal growth of the colony and its response to spatially het erogeneous nutrient distribution.