SCS Colloquium : Multi-agent based approach for modelling coral colony growth

Speaker: Max Filatov (SCS UvA)

Abstract:
A previously developed individual based coral growth model was used to study the influence of the environmental factors such as nutrient distribution and light availability on the growth patterns of coral colonies. A comparative analysis shows that simulated coral morphologies share several morphological features with real coral colonies. The individual based model is able to partly capture the  morphological variation in closely related and morphologically variable coral species of the genus Madracis.

To improve this model we use a multi-agent based modeling approach to control the growth of the colony. Multi-agent models have been used to simulate the plant growth. However, despite the high complexity of this models the range of the simulated shapes remains very limited. These limitations are partly due to a limited plasticity of modules (agents) that build up the final shape. In our coral simulation we use simple points (polyps) that create a shape by moving in 3D space. The key feature of the model is that every polyp is modeled as an agent.

This new model includes the following features: (i) the growth function is dynamically varied between the polyps (ii) there can be energy transfer (communication) between the polyps.

Using this model we investigate the role of polyp differentiation in the morphogenesis of a coral colony. An advantage of this approach is that coral species with radial and axial polyps (i.e. Acropora millepora) can be modeled. Potentially we can extend the morphospace of simulated morphologies significantly with the individual based approach.