Prediction and experimental evidence of the optimisation of the angular branching process in the thallus growth of Podospora anserina

TL;DR

This study presents a computational model of fungal growth that optimizes hyphal branching angles for exploration and exploitation, validated with experimental data from Podospora anserina, enabling efficient testing of growth conditions.

Contribution

The paper introduces a low-cost, two-dimensional binary-tree simulation model that accurately predicts hyphal branching angles and growth patterns in fungi, validated with experimental data.

Findings

Optimal branching angles enhance fungal exploration and exploitation.

The model accurately reproduces experimental hyphal growth patterns.

Simulation results align with observed fungal growth in homogeneous environments.

Abstract

Based upon apical growth and hyphal branching, the two main processes that drive the growth pattern of a fungal network, we propose here a two-dimensions simulation based on a binary-tree modelling allowing us to extract the main characteristics of a generic thallus growth. In particular, we showed that, in a homogeneous environment, the fungal growth can be optimized for exploration and exploitation of its surroundings with a specific angular distribution of apical branching. Two complementary methods of extracting angle values have been used to confront the result of the simulation with experimental data obtained from the thallus growth of the saprophytic filamentous fungus Podospora anserina. Finally, we propose here a validated model that, while being computationally low-cost, is powerful enough to test quickly multiple conditions and constraints. It will allow in future works to deepen the characterization of the growth dynamic of fungal network, in addition to laboratory experiments, that could be sometimes expensive, tedious or of limited scope.