Self-construction and destruction of living transport networks

Abstract

Biological transport networks adapt through dynamic interactions between material transport and structural modification during growth and development. In this work, we present a model of transport network growth driven by local material concentration. Using an advection-diffusion framework on a metric graph with a tip growth rule, we investigate how successive construction and destruction influence network development. Our results reveal that while repeated cycles of elongation and retraction can facilitate growth enhancement, a network need to have a structure that mitigates material dissipation. This finding suggests that additional regulatory mechanisms are necessary for networks to efficiently redistribute resources following structural retraction.