Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe

BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 7: Poster Session I

BP 7.23: Poster

Montag, 9. März 2026, 15:00–17:00, P5

Coordination of Migration by Adaptive Mechanics — •Diana Lenski, Lucas Troeger, and Karen Alim — School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Germany

Unicellular organisms navigate and adapt to their environment using characteristic migration strategies, among them chemotaxis, the ability to detect and respond to chemical gradients. Although numerous models exist for amoeboid migration, the mechanisms governing directional sensing and movement in dynamical systems with complex morphologies across various size scales remain partially characterised. Besides continuous locomotion, migration strategies can involve dynamic regulatory phases that modulate the migratory behaviour. One such example in the slime mould Physarum polycephalum are stationary oscillations that repeatedly interrupt persistent migration.
This project involves the analysis and modelling of experimentally observed stationary oscillations in P. polycephalum across macroscopic and intermediate scales. These oscillations manifest as the periodic, opposing formation of protrusions that define the direction of migration, making them a key observable across spatial and temporal scales. First, we will statistically evaluate the chemotactic efficiency of large and small plasmodia on the macroscopic scale. Subsequently, we will examine oscillation dynamics by tracking contraction patterns to evaluate their contribution to migration phases and energy efficiency.
Integrating both perspectives will provide a deeper understanding of oscillatory migration phases as a fundamental element of amoeboid migration strategies.

Keywords: Cell migration; Chemotaxis