Data from: A theoretical approach to the size-complexity rule

The so-called size-complexity rule claims the existence of a positive correlation between organism size and number of cell types. In this spirit, here we address the relationship between organism size and number of potential tasks that can be performed. The modeling relies on the assumption that the states of the cells within the aggregates are such that the maximum fitness is realized, but also relies on the existence of tradeoffs among the distinct functions. For group sizes larger than the number of potential tasks, fitness maximization is attained when all cells in group specialize in a given task. Under this scenario, the number of potential tasks equals the number of cell types. We have found that the morphology and the topology of aggregates, as well as the developmental mode, strongly influence the dynamics of body formation. Particularly, it has been observed that more compact structures, such as sphere-like structures, are more likely to follow the claim of the size-complexity rule, whereas more fragile structures such as linear chains, which are more vulnerable to drastic changes due to division mechanisms, can, in a broad scenario, violate the size-complexity rule.

所谓的“规模-复杂度法则”（size-complexity rule）指出，生物体规模与细胞类型数量之间存在正相关关系。基于这一学术思路，本文探讨了生物体规模与其可执行潜在任务数量之间的关联。本建模基于两项核心假设：其一，细胞聚集体内的细胞状态可实现最大适应度；其二，不同功能之间存在权衡关系。当群体规模大于潜在任务数量时，若群体内所有细胞均特化执行某一特定任务，则可实现适应度最大化。在此情形下，潜在任务数量与细胞类型数量相等。研究发现，细胞聚集体的形态、拓扑结构以及发育模式，均会对生物体形体构建的动态过程产生显著影响。具体而言，已有观测表明，更为紧凑的结构（如类球形结构）更符合规模-复杂度法则的论断；而更脆弱的结构（如线性链状结构）则因分裂机制更易发生剧烈变化，在多数宽泛场景下会违背规模-复杂度法则。