Required Software

To open these system models, we will need a downloadable model file built in through HTML.

We'll run the model in VenSim through SimtoSim. We'll adjust the birth factor, or the egg chance using slider bars in the VenSim.

Model 1: Caterpillar Life Cycle

In this model, the only quantity is caterpillars. There is a birth rate for caterpillars and directly affects it's growth and progression, although not drastically considering it models exponential growth.

At different scales, the model demonstrates the increasingly quick exponential growth of caterpillars.

Model 2: Caterpillars Affected by Population of Ants

In this model, the quantities are caterpillars and ants. There is a birth rate that can be changed and a death rate that can be changed based on the number of ants that are present.

Model 3: Caterpillars Affected by Hunger

In this VenSim model, we have a leaf concentration variable that increases every timestep, and every time step, a caterpillar eats a leaf. The number of caterpillars affects the number of leaves. We have an if then else statement, where caterpillars normally decrease by death factor, but IF the amount of leaves is great, the chance for caterpillars to die is decreased.