Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Obtaining multiple separate food sources: behavioural intelligence in the Physarum plasmodium.

Toshiyuki Nakagaki1, Ryo Kobayashi, Yasumasa Nishiura

  • 1Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan. nakagaki@es.hokudai.ac.jp

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|November 13, 2004
PubMed
Summary

The Physarum plasmodium forms efficient networks resembling Steiner's minimum trees (SMT) or robust cycles (CYC) to connect food sources. This intelligent system optimizes nutrient transport and survival in complex environments.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Sensory-driven neck-limb coordination mechanisms for walk-trot-gallop gait transitions.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Dianionic Tetraalkynylmagnesate Complexes: A Strategy for Propargyl Amine Synthesis.

Organic letters·2026
Same author

Lens Color and Macular Pigment Density after Cataract Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Ophthalmology science·2026
Same author

A DFT Study on the Mechanism of Selective Formation of Substituted Azepines From 1-Azabutadienes and Cyclopropanes.

Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026
Same author

Dose-dependent association of naldemedine and magnesium oxide in the management of opioid-induced constipation.

Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer·2026
Same author

Effectiveness of a Physician-Pharmacist Collaborative Protocol for Universal Hepatitis B Virus Screening Prior to Chemotherapy in Cancer Patients.

Anticancer research·2026

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Network Science
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • The Physarum plasmodium is a single-celled amoeboid organism known for its ability to form complex network structures.
  • Understanding Physarum's network morphology is crucial for insights into biological self-organization and efficient transport systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the network morphology of the Physarum plasmodium when presented with multiple food sources.
  • To determine the principles governing pattern selection in Physarum's transportation networks.

Main Methods:

  • Morphological analysis of Physarum plasmodium networks under varying configurations of multiple food sources.
  • Comparison of observed network patterns with mathematical models like Steiner's minimum tree (SMT) and cycle (CYC) structures.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • When presented with three food sources, Physarum networks frequently adopted SMT-like pathways, approximating the shortest route.
  • Alternative network configurations exhibited high fault tolerance, resembling cycle (CYC) structures.
  • With more than three food sources, networks displayed a combination of SMT and CYC patterns, suggesting a bistable system.

Conclusions:

  • The Physarum plasmodium exhibits intelligent network design, optimizing for both efficiency (SMT) and robustness (CYC).
  • The observed pattern selection in Physarum networks is a bistable system adaptable to different environmental challenges.
  • Physarum's network formation provides a model for efficient and fault-tolerant transport systems.