Reaction-diffusion patterns in plant tip morphogenesis: bifurcations on spherical caps.

We study a chemical reaction-diffusion model (the Brusselator) for pattern formation on developing plant tips. A family of spherical cap domains is used to represent tip flattening during development. Applied to conifer embryos, we model the chemical prepatterning underlying cotyledon ("seed leaf") formation, and demonstrate the dependence of patterns on tip flatness, radius, and precursor concentrations.