Stochastic noise interferes coherently with a model biological clock and produces specific dynamic behaviour

Proc Biol Sci. 2001 Jun 22;268(1473):1307-13. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2001.1655.

Abstract

The influence of noise is unavoidable in all living systems. Its impact on a model of a biological clock, normally running in regular oscillating modes, is examined. It is shown that in a specific system in which endogenous rhythmicity is produced by a beat oscillator acting on a feedback coupled metabolic pool system, noise can act coherently to produce unexpected dynamic behaviour, running from regular over pseudo-regular to irregular time-structures. If the biological system consists of a set of identical weakly coupled cells, stochasticity may lead to phase decoupling producing irregular spatio-temporal patterns. Synchronization via phase resetting can be achieved by external short-time temperature pulses. Explicit results are obtained for the well-studied circadian photosynthesis oscillations in plants performing crassulacean acid metabolism. Because of the generic structure of the underlying nonlinear dynamics they can, however, be regarded as a general property of the influence of noise on nonlinear excitable systems with fixed points occuring close to limit cycles.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biological Clocks*
  • Circadian Rhythm
  • Magnoliopsida / metabolism
  • Models, Biological*
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Photosynthesis
  • Stochastic Processes