CELLULAR-AUTOMATA SIMULATIONS OF FUNGAL GROWTH ON SOLID SUBSTRATES

Growth of filamentous fungi on the surface of cereal grains is a criti cal aspect of solid substrate fermentation (SSF). Numerous mathematica l models have been developed to describe various aspects of fungal gro wth in SSF. These models consider hyphal geometry and nutrient availab ility as determinants of colony morphology and fungal physiological st ate. This work describes the use of cellular automata (CA) as an alter native method of modeling fungal growth. CA models reliant on a very l imited set of rules or ''knowledge base display a rich array of behavi ors that mimic fungal growth. By incorporating probablistic growth rul es into CA models, colony characteristics such as biomass accumulation rate, colony radial growth rate, mycelial density and fungal differen tiation are readily generated.