Active fluid networks excite visco-elastic modes for efficient transport

Active fluid transport is a hallmark of many biological transport networks. While animal circulatory systems generally rely on a single heart to drive flows, other organisms employ decentralized local pumps to distribute fluids and nutrients. Here, we study the decentralized pumping mechanism in the slime mold Physarum polycephalum which is locally triggered by active release, uptake, and transport of a chemical solute within the organism's vascular network to drive global oscillations.Based on a conceptual network model combining active elasticity and fluid transport we identify a set of contractile modes specific to each network and show that modes corresponding to large-scale oscillations are preferentially and robustly excited both in model simulations and in experimental data obtained from living Physarum plasmodia. These dominant modes are computed explicitly and shown to drive large-scale flows within the organism. Furthermore, Physarum must transport nutrients over long distances. As each mode corresponds to pure shuttle flow, long-range, directed transport must rely on a non-linear coupling beyond harmonic dynamics. Using simulations, we demonstrate that the network's transport capability is optimized when two dominant modes are excited at a phase shift of $\pi/2$, resulting in contractile excitations similar to those observed in real Physarum. Our results provide a conceptual framework for understanding active decentralized transport in Physarum and other contractile biological networks, such as brain vasculature, as well as decentralized transportation networks more generally.