Plasmodium ofPhysarum polycephalum （P. polycephalum） is a large single cell visible by an unaided eye. It shows sophisticated behavioural traits in foraging for nutrients and developing an optimal transport network ...Plasmodium ofPhysarum polycephalum （P. polycephalum） is a large single cell visible by an unaided eye. It shows sophisticated behavioural traits in foraging for nutrients and developing an optimal transport network of protoplasmic tubes spanning sources of nutrients. When placed in an environment with distributed sources of nutrients the cell computes＇ an optimal graph spanning the nutrients by growing a network of protoplasmic tubes. P. polycephalum imitates development ofman-made transport networks of a country when configuration of nutrients represents major urban areas, We employed this feature of the slime mould to imitate mexican migration to USA. The Mexican migration to USA is the World＇s larger migration system. We bio-physically imitated the migration using slime mould P. poIycephalum. In laboratory experiments with 3D Nylon terrains of USA we imitated development of migratory routes from Mexico-USA border to ten urban areas with high concentration of Mexican migrants. From results of laboratory experiments we extracted topologies of migratory routes, and highlighted a role of elevations in shaping the human movement networks.展开更多
文摘Plasmodium ofPhysarum polycephalum （P. polycephalum） is a large single cell visible by an unaided eye. It shows sophisticated behavioural traits in foraging for nutrients and developing an optimal transport network of protoplasmic tubes spanning sources of nutrients. When placed in an environment with distributed sources of nutrients the cell computes＇ an optimal graph spanning the nutrients by growing a network of protoplasmic tubes. P. polycephalum imitates development ofman-made transport networks of a country when configuration of nutrients represents major urban areas, We employed this feature of the slime mould to imitate mexican migration to USA. The Mexican migration to USA is the World＇s larger migration system. We bio-physically imitated the migration using slime mould P. poIycephalum. In laboratory experiments with 3D Nylon terrains of USA we imitated development of migratory routes from Mexico-USA border to ten urban areas with high concentration of Mexican migrants. From results of laboratory experiments we extracted topologies of migratory routes, and highlighted a role of elevations in shaping the human movement networks.
