Spiral and Rotor Patterns Produced by Fairy Ring Fungi.
A broad class of soil fungi form the annular patterns known as 'fairy rings' and provide one of the only means to observe spatio-temporal dynamics of otherwise cryptic fungal growth processes in natural environments. We present observations of novel spiral and rotor patterns produced by fa...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2016-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4774996?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1819278567039565824 |
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| author | Nathaniel Karst David Dralle Sally Thompson |
| author_facet | Nathaniel Karst David Dralle Sally Thompson |
| author_sort | Nathaniel Karst |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A broad class of soil fungi form the annular patterns known as 'fairy rings' and provide one of the only means to observe spatio-temporal dynamics of otherwise cryptic fungal growth processes in natural environments. We present observations of novel spiral and rotor patterns produced by fairy ring fungi and explain these behaviors mathematically by first showing that a well known model of fairy ring fungal growth and the Gray-Scott reaction-diffusion model are mathematically equivalent. We then use bifurcation analysis and numerical simulations to identify the conditions under which spiral waves and rotors can arise. We demonstrate that the region of dimensionless parameter space supporting these more complex dynamics is adjacent to that which produces the more familiar fairy rings, and identify experimental manipulations to test the transitions between these spatial modes. These same manipulations could also feasibly induce fungal colonies to transition from rotor/spiral formation to a set of richer, as yet unobserved, spatial patterns. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T00:14:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-af72b3b74a4c43ca9b2141b2ba88eb0e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T00:14:03Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-af72b3b74a4c43ca9b2141b2ba88eb0e2022-12-21T17:24:48ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-01113e014925410.1371/journal.pone.0149254Spiral and Rotor Patterns Produced by Fairy Ring Fungi.Nathaniel KarstDavid DralleSally ThompsonA broad class of soil fungi form the annular patterns known as 'fairy rings' and provide one of the only means to observe spatio-temporal dynamics of otherwise cryptic fungal growth processes in natural environments. We present observations of novel spiral and rotor patterns produced by fairy ring fungi and explain these behaviors mathematically by first showing that a well known model of fairy ring fungal growth and the Gray-Scott reaction-diffusion model are mathematically equivalent. We then use bifurcation analysis and numerical simulations to identify the conditions under which spiral waves and rotors can arise. We demonstrate that the region of dimensionless parameter space supporting these more complex dynamics is adjacent to that which produces the more familiar fairy rings, and identify experimental manipulations to test the transitions between these spatial modes. These same manipulations could also feasibly induce fungal colonies to transition from rotor/spiral formation to a set of richer, as yet unobserved, spatial patterns.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4774996?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Nathaniel Karst David Dralle Sally Thompson Spiral and Rotor Patterns Produced by Fairy Ring Fungi. PLoS ONE |
| title | Spiral and Rotor Patterns Produced by Fairy Ring Fungi. |
| title_full | Spiral and Rotor Patterns Produced by Fairy Ring Fungi. |
| title_fullStr | Spiral and Rotor Patterns Produced by Fairy Ring Fungi. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spiral and Rotor Patterns Produced by Fairy Ring Fungi. |
| title_short | Spiral and Rotor Patterns Produced by Fairy Ring Fungi. |
| title_sort | spiral and rotor patterns produced by fairy ring fungi |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4774996?pdf=render |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nathanielkarst spiralandrotorpatternsproducedbyfairyringfungi AT daviddralle spiralandrotorpatternsproducedbyfairyringfungi AT sallythompson spiralandrotorpatternsproducedbyfairyringfungi |