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Abstract

What is the origin of behaviour? Although typically associated with a nervous system,
simple organisms also show complex behaviours. Among them, the slime mold Physarum polycephalum,
a giant single cell, is ideally suited to study emergence of behaviour. Here, we show how locomotion
and morphological adaptation behaviour emerge from self-organized
patterns of rhythmic
contractions of the actomyosin lining of the tubes making up the network-shaped
organism. We
quantify the spatio-temporal
contraction dynamics by decomposing experimentally recorded
contraction patterns into spatial contraction modes. Notably, we find a continuous spectrum of
modes, as opposed to a few dominant modes. Our data suggests that the continuous spectrum
of modes allows for dynamic transitions between a plethora of specific behaviours with transitions
marked by highly irregular contraction states. By mapping specific behaviours to states of active
contractions, we provide the basis to understand behaviour’s complexity as a function of biomechanical
dynamics.