6. Applications
Simulation models of growth and form and the analysis of growth forms provide insight into one of the most fundamental questions in biology: how is
genetic information, in combination with environmental influences, physically translated into the actual form . These models also have are several other
important applications. In this section we will briefly discuss one potential
application, the design of aquacultures, and give two more detailed examples
of another (potential) applicat ion, the analysis ofbioarchives.
In marine organisms a large diversity of metabolites of great pharmacological and toxicological importance has been identified. The percentage
of anticancer leads with significant cytotoxic activity in preclinical drug discovery is much higher in marine organ isms than in terrestrial organisms
(Braekman and van Soest 1993). Among the marine animals, the sponges
represent an especially rich source of novel biologically active compounds.
For example, compounds with cytotoxic, antibiotic, antifungal, antitumor,
antiviral, antifouling, and enzyme -inhibitory activities have been found in
sponges. Compared to the cnidarians and the algae, which are another important source ofbioactive compounds, twice as many of these compounds have
been described for sponges (van Soest and Braekman 1999). One of the un -
derlying reasons might be that both sponge cells and sponge microsymbionts
tend to produce bioactive compounds.
In most cases harvesting of natural populations is not an option and
would very soon deplete the natural source. Furthermore species which tend
to produce the most bioactive compounds are usually slow-growing species,
which depend on these chemical agents for defend ing themselves against both
predators and spatial competition. The alternative is to set up aquacultures of
organisms producing these compounds, with the advantage that potentially
high amounts of bioactive compounds can be produced under controlled
conditions. An attractive option in sponges would be for example to use
suspensions of cells in bioreactors. Unfortunately setting up aquacultures of
marine organisms is extremely difficult (Osinga et al. 1999); it has been said
that "trying to do invertebrate aquaculture is a nightmare" (see Pain 1996) .
Important issues in aquacultures are: the growth process of the organism is
frequently not well understood; it is difficult to create the right hydrodynamic
conditions and food supply in filter feeders; biological regulation mechanisms
are not well known, for example the factors which keep the sponge cells in
suspension and those which prevent them from forming aggregates. One
potential applicat ion of the simulation models that we have discussed in the
previous chapters is in engineering aquacultures, just as simulation models
are being used for designing chemical reactors.
J. A. Kaandorp et al., The Algorithmic Beauty of Seaweeds, Sponges and Corals
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2001
Simulation models of growth and form and the analysis of growth forms provide insight into one of the most fundamental questions in biology: how is
genetic information, in combination with environmental influences, physically translated into the actual form . These models also have are several other
important applications. In this section we will briefly discuss one potential
application, the design of aquacultures, and give two more detailed examples
of another (potential) applicat ion, the analysis ofbioarchives.
In marine organisms a large diversity of metabolites of great pharmacological and toxicological importance has been identified. The percentage
of anticancer leads with significant cytotoxic activity in preclinical drug discovery is much higher in marine organ isms than in terrestrial organisms
(Braekman and van Soest 1993). Among the marine animals, the sponges
represent an especially rich source of novel biologically active compounds.
For example, compounds with cytotoxic, antibiotic, antifungal, antitumor,
antiviral, antifouling, and enzyme -inhibitory activities have been found in
sponges. Compared to the cnidarians and the algae, which are another important source ofbioactive compounds, twice as many of these compounds have
been described for sponges (van Soest and Braekman 1999). One of the un -
derlying reasons might be that both sponge cells and sponge microsymbionts
tend to produce bioactive compounds.
In most cases harvesting of natural populations is not an option and
would very soon deplete the natural source. Furthermore species which tend
to produce the most bioactive compounds are usually slow-growing species,
which depend on these chemical agents for defend ing themselves against both
predators and spatial competition. The alternative is to set up aquacultures of
organisms producing these compounds, with the advantage that potentially
high amounts of bioactive compounds can be produced under controlled
conditions. An attractive option in sponges would be for example to use
suspensions of cells in bioreactors. Unfortunately setting up aquacultures of
marine organisms is extremely difficult (Osinga et al. 1999); it has been said
that "trying to do invertebrate aquaculture is a nightmare" (see Pain 1996) .
Important issues in aquacultures are: the growth process of the organism is
frequently not well understood; it is difficult to create the right hydrodynamic
conditions and food supply in filter feeders; biological regulation mechanisms
are not well known, for example the factors which keep the sponge cells in
suspension and those which prevent them from forming aggregates. One
potential applicat ion of the simulation models that we have discussed in the
previous chapters is in engineering aquacultures, just as simulation models
are being used for designing chemical reactors.
J. A. Kaandorp et al., The Algorithmic Beauty of Seaweeds, Sponges and Corals
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2001