Particle dynamics simulations of Turing patterns.
The direct simulation Monte Carlo method is used to reproduce Turing patterns at the microscopic level in reaction-diffusion systems. In order to satisfy the basic condition for the development of such a spatial structure, we propose a model involving a solvent, which allows for disparate diffusivities of individual reactive species. One-dimensional structures are simulated in systems of various lengths. Simulation results agree with the macroscopic predictions obtained by integration of the reaction-diffusion equations. Additional effects due to internal fluctuations are observed, such as temporal transitions between structures of different wavelengths in a confined system. For a structure developing behind a propagating wave front, the fluctuations suppress the induction period and accelerate the formation of the Turing pattern. These results support the ability of reaction-diffusion models to robustly reproduce axial segmentation including the formation of early vertebrae or somites in noisy biological environments.
Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland.
P
P
Dziekan
A
A
Lemarchand
B
B
Nowakowski