Comparing two classes of biological distribution systems using network analysis
Fig 7
Mycelial and vasculature networks exhibit distinct tradeoffs between wiring, physical efficiency, and structural robustness.
In panels (A-C) the x-axis labels the kind of network, with the curly braces grouping the mycelia (first 4 networks) and the vasculature (last 2 networks). The y-axis measures the value of a given property for each network. A p-value is displayed if there was a statistically significant difference (as determined by a two-sample t-test) in the mean value of the given property between the population of mycelial networks and the population of vasculature networks. (A) The mean relative wiring for all networks was significantly larger for the population of mycelial networks compared to the population of vasculature networks. (B) The difference in the mean relative physical efficiency of the mycelial networks and the vasculature networks was not statistically significant. (C) The mean relative structural robustness was significantly larger for the population of mycelial networks compared to the population of vasculature networks. (D) A scatterplot of the relative physical efficiency vs. the relative wiring for each network. (E) A scatterplot of the relative structural robustness vs. the relative wiring for each network. For all plots, the relative quantities Wrel, , and Rrel were determined by normalizing each network with respect to its own spatial null models, which then allowed for a meaningful comparison of the different types of distribution networks to one another.