Evolution and Growth of Virtual Plants

摘要

According to the Red Queen hypothesis, an evolving population may be improving some trait, even though its fitness remains constant. We have created such a scenario with a population of coevolving plants. Plants are modeled using Lindenmayer systems and rendered with OpenGL. The plants consist of branches and leaves. Their reproductive success depends on their ability to catch sunlight as well as their structural complexity. All plants are evaluated inside the same environment, which means that one plant is able to cover other plants leaves. Leaves which are placed in the shadow of other plants do not catch any sunlight. The shape of the plant also determines the area where offspring can be placed. Offspring can only be placed in the vicinity of a plant. A number of experiments were performed in different environments. The Red Queen effect was seen in all cases.