A model of competitive exclusion in plants

Grid plants are a simple artificial organism that models competitive exclusion in annual plants. Simulated plants that grow only from their tip are placed on a toroidal grid. They grow according to genetic plans that are expressed, limited by both energy and other plants. Once a plant has occupied a cell of the grid, no other may, so that the plants are competing for space. The algorithm simulates reproduction for 1000 model years under differing conditions. The final populations of plants are compared using a variety of tools including agent case embeddings, non-linear projection, and hierarchical clustering. It is found the plants adapt strongly to the differing conditions with higher seed mortality rates corresponding to more aggressive seed production. Performance of the plants is visualized in a number of ways and suggestions are made for generalizing and applying the model.