Cyberkelp: an integrative approach to the modelling of flexible organisms

Biomechanical models come in a variety of forms: conceptual models; physical models; and mathematical models (both of the sort written down on paper and the sort carried out on computers). There are model structures (such as insect flight muscle and the tendons of rats' tails), model organisms (such as the flying insect, Manduca sexta), even model systems of organisms (such as the communities that live on wave-swept rocky shores). These different types of models are typically employed separately, but their value often can be enhanced if their insights are integrated. In this brief report we explore a particular example of such integration among models, as applied to flexible marine algae. A conceptual model serves as a template for the construction of a mathematical model of a model species of giant kelp, and the validity of this numerical model is tested using physical models. The validated mathematical model is then used in conjunction with a computer-controlled tensile testing apparatus to simulate the loading regime placed on algal materials. The resulting information can be used to create a more precise mathematical model.