How morphology of artificial organisms influences their evolution

How morphology of artificial organisms influences their evolution

The purpose of this work is to study virtual populations of artificial organisms with their genotype, morphology, mechanism of motion, search and competition for food, reproduction, mutations. The genotype determines the phenotype (morphology), while morphology determines efficiency of motion and success in the search for food in the competition with other individuals; sufficient amount of food...

Artificial Evolution: how and why?

The Simulation of the Behaviour and Evolution of Artificial Organisms

In artiicial life we are interested in increasing our understanding of some of the characteristics of natural life by capturing the behaviour of the constituent low-level components of a living system and simulating an aggregate of components of one or more artiicial organisms with similar behaviour. From the local interaction of these low-level components emerges high-level, global structures ...

The Evolution of Robust Development and Homeostasis in Artificial Organisms

During embryogenesis, multicellular animals are shaped via cell proliferation, cell rearrangement, and apoptosis. At the end of development, tissue architecture is then maintained through balanced rates of cell proliferation and loss. Here, we take an in silico approach to look for generic systems features of morphogenesis in multicellular animals that arise as a consequence of the evolution of...

Maturation and the Evolution of Imitative Learning in Artificial Organisms

The traditional explanation of delayed maturation age, as part of an evolved life history, focuses on the increased costs of juvenile mortality due to early maturation. Prior quantitative models of these trade-offs, however, have addressed only morphological phenotypic traits, such as body size. We argue that the development of behavioral skills prior to reproductive maturity also constitutes a...