The ornate boxfish at Birch Aquarium in San Diego is captivating researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder due to the striking hexagonal markings found on the males of the species. These intricate markings have left the researchers puzzled as to how they came to be and wondering if renowned mathematician Alan Turing’s theory could provide an explanation.
Turing’s theory, developed over 70 years ago, suggested that animals develop their patterns through a chemical reaction-diffusion process that systematically creates the spots and stripes seen in species like the ornate boxfish. However, the sharpness and precision of the patterns in this species left some gaps in Turing’s theory. This led the team of engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder to explore the potential impact of a mechanism called diffusiophoresis in a new study published in the journal of Science Advances.
Diffusiophoresis describes the movement of pigment cells in response to a concentration gradient of a separate chemical, causing the cells to concentrate and clump together, creating sharp patterns. The simulations generated from the modified Turing’s equation, including diffusiophoresis, showed that this mechanism could explain the sharp and distinct patterns found on the ornate boxfish.
Dr. Andrew Krause, an assistant professor of applied mathematics at Durham University, has found the findings fascinating and believes it could lead to further research on diffusiophoresis for biological processes such as embryo and tumor formation, as well as camouflage in other species. However, there are still gaps in Turing’s theory that need to be explored, as per the University of Warwick. This new study proposes an exciting modification to sharpen Turing’s theory, but it could be just one of several mechanisms contributing to the patterns seen in the ornate boxfish.
