cells don't respond to environmental cues very strongly

cells may have constitutive regulation of major components

feedback control regulates both the activity of the components and the quantity of the components

this would be the most likely model

STELLA models for this

1.b oscillations

dynamic models can be made to oscillate

this might be a subset of 1

this also is a subset of the dynamic optimization model

simple dynamic models can show this behavior without over-riding genetic parameters

cells have some global regulators that set the region of metabolism, normal gene and enzyme feedback type controls work as well

some unicelluar algae differentiate

in response to fluctuation in environmental cues there would be imposed variability in cell types

diatoms cell size

cyanobacteria (heterocysts, vegetative,

single cell to colony forming transition

cells could have random generators that push individuals to have a particular metabolism that is independent of what the current or past cues would indicate

this would be a good survival mechanism but would have trouble in a competitive environment

C & S strategies are competitive - R strategy may be more designed for survival?

instead of being based on Boolean logic, there could be a weighted response to the logic

fuzzy logic is fundamentally different than weighted Boolean, but that might be difficult to work with in these scenarios

getting to be like a network response

the regulation could be based more on the network and connections as a complex system than indicators of flow and feedback

complex systems (such as N-K networks) can display jumps between basins that have major significance in the outcomes but are due to only slight changes in the logic

these systems could be similar to the shift up/shift down, the differentiating cell or the fuzzy logic models

one of the basic assumptions in reductionist biology is that there is no general sensory mechanism for the current state, that has to be a synthesis of the individual metabolic cues

cells could be programmed to maintain their flux capacity in a certain range, this would lead to the cells having a "goal" rather than converging on an optimum

flux capacity could be detected as some quantity such as the redox potential of intermediates in photosynthesis rather than the amount of NADPH produced

cells divide when they reach a preset size

cells might be able to predict some aspects of their environment

there maybe patterns in the chaos/turbulence that can be detected - although I'm not specifying how this might happen

circadian rythms are a simple example

cells might respond to their position in a field or chemical gradient

fields could be set up between algae of the same species (although I don't exactly know how this would happen except for a chemical gradient).

light field

gravity, magnetic, temperature or other field

hormones or some indicator chemical triggers switch from single to colonial forms as response to predation

connection between cells to form an organism/individual

water column would be made up of distinct individuals (each individual made up of cells that are unconnected in 3D)

only suggestion is that this happens in another dimension (other than 3 dimentional space, such as through string theory)