Pattern BRANCHING Branching in Biology Branching an efficient

Pattern: BRANCHING!

Branching in Biology Branching– an efficient way to distribute and collect materials and energy in biological systems

On the left below is a false color image of a resin cast of a human bronchial tree. We see a similar branching pattern in trees. In both cases, branching is an efficient model for collecting and distributing materials.

Optic neurons in a blowfly eye and neuron net in a human brain

Microscopic view of a mycelium which is the part of a fungus (mold) that absorbs nutrients from other living or dead organisms. This image covers a one-millimeter square

Antarctic basket star, coral and the underside of a sand dollar show branching patterns

Branching in Plants– above and below the ground– efficient collection and distribution of materials and energy

Branching Patterns– unique to species, can be used for identification Insects are identified by wing venation. A butterfly wing is shown below. A fly is shown at right

Branching Patterns– Evidence of Evolution Wing Venation Branching Patterns Are Evidence of Evolution • Fore wing of Lithopanorpa pusilla • Photograph of (fossil) wing of Lithopanorpa pusilla

Another example of branching venation patterns as evidence of evolution • • Fore (? ) wing of Agetopanorpa maculata Photograph of (fossil) wing of Agetopanorpa maculata

Some biological branching patterns- like the bronchial tree can be quantified

Branching in Physics

Flow of Energy---High Voltage Dielectric Lichtenberg Figure and Lightening Bolts

Flow of Materials ---Mississippi Delta from 700 km above Earth’s surface --Looks like a pattern of branching blood vessels or lung bronchi branching.

Arial photograph of the Colorado River delta

Photo of a river in Baja California from space

Branching in snowflakes

CD in microwave for 5 seconds– don’t do this at home!

Hele Shaw Cell– viscous branching with 2 different fluids • https: //vimeo. com/22212386

Biology/Technology Connection Nature-inspired network design: recent studies of the efficiency of slime molds and the ability of leaves to function when damaged due to branching patterns in their veins have led to mathematical models for transportation networks

Slime Molds vs Transport Engineers and computer scientists https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=o. Ey. Ww. UN j_es

Slime Molds and Transportation Networks Independently, two groups of researchers compared the slime mold’s foraging network between food sources to networks connecting cities.

Tokyo Slime Mold in Action!

Enter Leaf Veins Just like in our own circulatory system, a network of veins brings nutrients and water to the cells of a leaf. Plants have evolved “looping networks” to ensure that a blockage in one pathway doesn’t deprive the entire leaf of nutrients.

Scientists punched a hole through the central vein of a lemon leaf and injected fluorescent dye. The dye was able to spread throughout the leaf despite this disruption. Hole in leaf

Transportation systems are most efficient when incorporating both slime mold and leaf vein strategies • Neither strategy on its own is good enough. • Slime-mold, treelike networks are good for basic structures • Excess leaf-vein looping is needed for support during damage control and tourist influx.

Slime Mold Patterns more efficient networks. Researchers also compared the slime mold's network to an idealized network based on a mathematical model called the minimum spanning tree, a geometric concept used to create costefficient networks. They broke down the mold's behavior and distilled it into a set of simple mathematical rules and built a new computer model out of them. The model could lead to more efficient transportation, computer and communications networks

Arts Integration

Making the Hele- Shaw Cell