Simulation of carbon-based model for virtual plants as complex adaptive system

This research presented a teleonomic-based simulation approach to virtual plants integrating the technology of intelligent agent as well as the knowledge of plant physiology and morphology. Plant is represented as the individual metamers and root agents with both functional and geometrical structure. The development of plant is achieved by the flush growth of metamer and root agents controlled by their internal physiological status and external environment. The eggplant based simulation results show that simple rules and actions (internal carbon allocation among organs, dynamic carbon reserve/mobilization, carbon transport in parallel using a discrete pressure-flow paradigm and child agent position choosing for maximum light interception, etc.) executed by agents can cause the complex adaptive behaviors on the whole plant level: carbon partitioning among metamers and roots, carbon reserve dynamics, architecture and biomass adaptation to environmental heterogeneity and the phototropism, etc. This phenomenon manifest that the virtual plant simulated in presented approach can be viewed as a complex adaptive system.