In most cases, the module has a distinctive form, while
the growth form of the entire colony is frequently an indeterminate form.
Indeterminate growth indicates that the same growth process may result in an
infinite number of different realizations of the growth form . This is in contrast
to unitary organisms such as vertebrates 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.引自第1页This figure illustrates two of the basic
themes in this book. First, similar growth forms found in very different tax-
onomic groups seem to suggest that there is a deeper physical reason why
different organisms sometimes converge on just a few "styles". Second, there must be some way to characterize and compare these forms quantitatively引自第1页
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three options for the study of growth and form in marine sessile organisms:
field (in vivo), laboratory (in vitro) , using simulation models (in silica)
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3.1.2 Horton Statistics
On a network with branch ordering, various natural quantities to measure arise. Some principal ones are :
nw, the number of branch segments for a given order w;
lw, the average branch segment length;
aw, the average cross-sectional branch area;
and the variation in these numbers from order to order.
In some cases, the volume or area surrounding a branch segment can be measured.
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Chapter 4 Simulating Growth and Form
A Laplacian Model of Branching Growth: 按营养物浓度(或光强)的梯度来生长，就能长成那种形状.
The local amount of contact with the environment in an object with radiate accretive growth can be related to the local radius of curvature, where a relatively high local radius of curvature indicates a relatively low access to the environment.
The underlying method for modeling nutrient distributions is the lattice Boltzmann method, combined with a tracer step to study the transport process.
the amount of contact with the environment is very important(Fig. 4.39 v.s.Fig.4.41)
4.6.7 A Comparison Between the Accretive Model and the Growth Forms:模型参数的直观解释
