T. Nakagaki et al., Reaction-diffusion-advection model for pattern formation of rhythmic contraction in a giant amoeboid cell of the Physarum Plasmodium, J THEOR BIO, 197(4), 1999, pp. 497-506
The plasmodium of Physarum polycephalum is a large amoeboid organism showin
g rhythmic contraction everywhere within an organism, and moves by forming
spatio-temporal patterns of the rhythmic contraction. We propose a reaction
-diffusion-advection model for the pattern formation. This model is constru
cted under physiological suggestions that the chemical oscillator acts as a
clock regulating the rhythmic contraction and interacts spatially not only
by diffusion but also by advection of protoplasm. Behavior of the model is
studied by numerical calculation, especially the effects of the advection
term on a simple reaction-diffusion system. The advection effect reproduces
experimentally observed phenomena of fluctuating propagation of the contra
ction wave. Concept of the reaction-diffusion-advection system is promising
for modeling the mechanism of amoeboid behavior in the Physarum plasmodium
. (C) 1999 Academic Press.