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- QuickTime animations:
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- Competition for space
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- honda.mov 15s (Figure 5)
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- In this model, two planar branch tiers compete for space. The circles represent
- leaf clusters, located at the nodes. The endpoint of each branch, or apex,
- produces new branches, unless it falls into an existing cluster.
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- This interaction limits the extent of branching, and adapts the shape of each
- tier to the presence of its neighbor.
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- Clonal plant propagation
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- clover.mov 45s (Figure 7)
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- This is the top view of a ground area, with different intensities of incoming
- light. A clonal plant propagates by means of horizontal spacers which connect
- the individual leaves. Old spacers and leaves die.
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- The plant takes advantage of high light intensity by increasing the frequency
- of branching and decreasing the length of the spacers. Collisions are avoided
- as in animation honda.mov.
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- After colonizing the patch at the bottom left corner, the plant searches for
- another favorable patch. In its first attempt, the top right patch has been
- missed. The plant tries again, and this time succeeds.
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- Light conditions in the top right patch are not sufficient to sustain the
- continuos presence of the plant. The colony disappears until the patch is
- reached again by a new wave of propagation.
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- The dynamics of propagation reflect the plant's adaptation to its environment.
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- Development of a root in soil (2D)
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- root2d.mov 18s (Figure 9)
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- The field surrounding a plant may be created by various physical processes. In
- this case, field values represent concentrations of water, diffusing in
- soil. The tip of the main root follows the gradient of water concentration. The
- main root and the rootlets also absorb water from the environment.
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- The resulting developmental pattern reflects a cycle of interactions in which
- the environment affects the root, and the root reciprocally affects the
- environment.
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- Development of roots in soil (3D)
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- root3d.mov 20s (Figure 10)
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- This is a three-dimensional extension of the model in animation root2d.mov.
- Water concentration is visualized by a semi-transparent iso-surface surrounding
- the roots. The growing tips of the roots and rootlets absorb water that
- diffuses in the soil. As a result of competition for water, the roots grow away
- from each other.
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- Rotations highlight the resulting three-dimensional structure.
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- If the rootlets spread out less extensively, the area of influence of each root
- system is smaller, and the roots grow closer together.
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- Competition of branches for light
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- trees.mov 16s (Figure 14)
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- In this simulation, two genetically identical trees compete for light from the
- sky hemisphere. Clusters of leaves, not shown to make the branching structure
- clearer, cast shadows on branches further down. An apex in shadow does not
- produce new branches. An existing branch whose leaves do not receive enough
- light dies and is shed from the tree. Competition for light controls the
- density of branches in the tree crowns.
- Moving the trees apart reveals the adaptation of crown shape to the presence
- of the neighbor tree.