We have developed a series of Java applets to demonstrate the approach
of synthetic simulations in biology. Using this approach it is
possible to explore how simple rules can lead to complex emerging
behaviour.
The applets on this page focus on the communication of worker ants
through pheromone deposits in the environment. There are 4 applets of
increasing complexity. They can be started by clicking the
corresponding screenshots.
Applet 0
This minimal applet is meant to allow the observation of the 4
elemental rules that individual ants follow to determine their
behaviour. The only parameter that can be adjusted is the use of
"substance X"
The two applets provided here allow to explore the optimal strategy
for the pheromone communication depending on the type of food the ants
typically encounter. In one of the applet the food source is a large
animal and for the purposes of this simulation unlimited. In the other
case food sources are small and appear randomly whenever others have
been depleted. Note that there is no known optimal solution to
either.
This full applet allows many different choices for food amounts and
placement as well as choices for obstacles. It was designed to explore
further ideas according to the user preferences.
