Required Software

These agent models are made in a website called AgentCubesOnline. The models show the relationships between individual creatures.

Each model links to a page with three options: Play, Design, and Edit. Play allows you to watch the model run up close, design allows you to add or remove individual agents, and edit allows you to change everything about the model, from the code that governs agents to the size of the world.

To start the model, click play. To stop the model, hit the back button on your browser.

Model 1: Ants & Fungi

Model Story:

Healthy ants, when next to fungus, turn into zombie ants.

Zombie ants, with some percent chance, die and sprout spores.

Spores, with some percent chance, grow into fungus.

Healthy ants move randomly in the world.

Zombie ants move randomly faster in the world.

Ants are represented by pink squares. Zombie ants are represented by purple squares. Spores are represented by blue squares, fungi by orange squares, and the world by green squares.

This model is on a very small scale. It starts with only one fungus and a few ants. The world is extremely confining. Only the two ants, spores and fungi exist. The reason why infected ants move faster in the world is because the fungus that is controlling them has no regard for the ant's well being. It is trying to find the optimum place to reproduce, and does not care if the ant will die. After all, the fungus will kill it anyways. The values we chose for this model also produced the most balanced world.

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Model 2: Ants, Fungi, & Hyperparasitic Fungi

Model Story:

Healthy ants, when next to fungus, turn into zombie ants.

Zombie ants, with some percent chance, die and sprout spores.

Spores, with some percent chance, grow into fungus.

All ants move randomly in the world. The zombie ants still move faster than the healthy ants.

If fungus is next to hyperparasitic fungus, fungus becomes hyperparasitic fungus.

Ants are represented by pink squares. Zombie ants are represented by purple squares. Spores are represented by yellow squares, fungi by blue squares, and the world by green squares. Hyperparasitic fungus (Fungus that attacks other fungi) prevents the zombie fungus from reproducing, and is represented by orange squares. This fungus is one of the main reasons the zombie fungus has not wiped out the carpenter ant population.

This model is still in a relatively small world. However, there is a lot more interaction between different organisms, as the hyperparasitic fungus now allows the ants to continue living for longer.

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Model 3: Ants, Fungi, & Hyperparasitic Fungi

Model Story:

Healthy ants, when next to fungus, turn into zombie ants.

The anthill , when next to healthy ant, produces a new healthy ant.

When healthy ants are next to each other, there is a chance, one ant could die due to competition.

Zombie ants, with some percent chance, die and sprout spores.

Spores, with some percent chance, grow into fungus.

All ants move randomly in the world. Zombie ants move faster than normal ants. Healthy ants now have a chance to move faster as well.

If fungus is next to hyperparasitic fungus, fungus becomes hyperparasitic fungus.

Healthy ants will become infected if they are touched with the hand tool.

Ants are represented by pink squares. Zombie ants are represented by purple squares. Spores are represented by yellow squares, fungi by blue squares, and the world by green squares. Hyperparasitic fungus (Fungus that attacks other fungi) prevents the zombie fungus from reproducing, and is represented by orange squares. This fungus is one of the main reasons the zombie fungus has not wiped out the carpenter ant population. The anthill is represented by a circle.

This model is much larger than the other two worlds. There is even more interaction between different organisms, and the model is more stable with the addition of the anthill. Since new ants are being born, the model can continue for longer. The reason healthy ants can now moove faster occasionally is because, realistically, ants can move faster than they normally do. This will happen in our model occasionally, making it more realistic.

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