Open AccessNonrandom structures in the locomotor behavior of Halobacterium: a bifurcation route to chaos?
Author(s) -
Angelika Schimz,
Eilo Hildebrand
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.89.2.457
Subject(s) - chaotic , bifurcation , perturbation (astronomy) , nonlinear system , rhythm , interval (graph theory) , physics , stimulation , mathematics , mathematical analysis , control theory (sociology) , neuroscience , biology , combinatorics , computer science , control (management) , acoustics , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence
Halobacteria spontaneously reverse their swimming direction about every 10-15 s. They respond to light stimuli by a transient perturbation of this rhythm. During periodic stimulation the system shows features that are known from nonlinear oscillators. Increasing stimulation frequencies cause the following phenomena: (i) the frequency of reversals follows the stimulation frequency, (ii) transition to a state where a long and a short interval occur alternatingly and further transition to four interval lengths, (iii) appearance of irregular interval sequences, which, in a two-dimensional plot of successive intervals, reveal clearly discernible structures and suggest chaotic motion. A similar series of events can be induced in the absence of periodic stimulation, when a control parameter is changed to various constant levels. The data suggest that the system is governed by deterministic dynamical laws.