The Algorithmic Beauty of Seaweeds, Sponges and Corals

Janet E. Kübler

ISBN 10: 3642087205 / ISBN 13: 9783642087202

Published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Springer Okt 2010, 2010

About this Item

This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -o water movement increases.Springer-Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 212 pp. Englisch.

Seller Inventory # 9783642087202

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Algorithmic Beauty of Seaweeds, Sponges and Corals
• Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Springer Okt 2010
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3642087205
• ISBN 13: 9783642087202
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 277W x 210H x 14D millimeters 277 millimeters width by 210 millimeters height by 14 millimeters depth
• Weight: 588 grams

About this title

Synopsis

rowth and form of marine organisms inhabiting hard substrata, the G"marine sessile organisms", ischaracterized by anumber ofremarkable properties. One remarkable feature of these organisms is that many ofthem can be characterizedasmodularorganisms. Modularorganisms are typically built ofrepeated units, the modules, which might be a polyp in a coral colony or afrond in seaweeds. In most cases,the modulehas adistinctive form, while the growth form of the entire colony is frequently an indeterminate form. Indeterminategrowthindicatesthatthe same growthprocess mayresult in an infinite numberofdifferentrealizations ofthe growthform.This isincontrast to unitaryorganisms such asvertebrates and insects, in which a single-celled stage develops into a well-defined, determinate structure. In many cases the growth process in modular organisms leads to complex shapes, which are often quite difficult to describe in words. In most of the biological literature these forms are only described in qualitativeand rather vague terms, such as "thinlybranching","tree-shaped" and "irregularlybranching". Anothermajor characteristic ofmarine sessile organisms is that there is frequentlyastrongimpactofthe physical environmenton the growthprocess, leading to a variety of growth forms. Growth by accumulation of modules allows the organism to fit its shape to its environment i.e., have plasticity. In many seaweeds, sponges, and corals, differences in exposure to water movement cause significant changes in morphology. Agood example of this plasticity is the Indo-Pacific stony coral Pocillopora damicornis(Veron and Pichon 1976) shown in Plg.r.i. In very sheltered environments, this species has a thin-branching growth form. The growth form gradually transforms to a more compact shape when the exposure to water movement increases.

From the Back Cover

This book gives a state-of-the-art overview of modeling growth and form of marine sessile organisms - such as stromatolites, algae, and metazoans including stony corals, hydrocorals, octocorals, and sponges -, using large-scale computing techniques, scientific visualization, methods for analyzing 2D and 3D forms, and particle-based modeling techniques. It originates from the workshop on Modeling Growth and Form of Marine Sessile Organisms, held at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara, California, August 1999. Experts from various disciplines including developmental biology, ecology, computer science, physics and mathematics, who have research interests in modeling the development of these organisms have been invited to contribute. The book describes all the steps required to develop and experimentally validate morphological models including collecting biological information and methods for specifying and comparing forms. Examples are given of how models are currently being applied to simulate growth and form of marine sessile organisms. Potential applications of growth models and morphological analyses in modern and paleo-bio-monitoring, the detection of environmental change, and the conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems and aquaculture are addressed. The combination of simulation models with laboratory and field experiments provides a powerful tool to obtain insights on how the growth forms of marine organisms emerge from physical, genetic and environmental influences.