Figure 7.

Simulation of inoculum geometry effects. a. Encounters of rimmed colonies. Profiles of mature colonies (including quorum levels) in the first generation after growth cessation. Inoculum position indicated by black dots. Colonies sharing the same substrate are smaller and reach maturity sooner than singletons, and develop a common rim if planted sufficiently close together. b. Effects of inoculum size in simulated plantings by dropping. Top - number of generations required to reach final colony size, bottom - diameter of distinct colony parts depending on initial inoculum size. Note that the simulation marked by the arrow resulted only in an imperfect, shallow rim, and simulations with larger inocula yielded maculae without a distinctive rim. Simulation parameters were as for colony 1 in Figure 6b, c. c. Experimentally observed dependence of colony proportions (at day 7) on area of planting. Increasing the planting area leads to the expansion of the red center at the expense of the interstitial circle. Above 10 mm of planting diameter (i.e. standard diameter of the circle; dashed line), the circle disappears totally, and the resulting body grows towards a macula.