Anomalies in predator/prey
There are some features of the simulation that seem a bit odd.
They are worth understanding, and they might suggest things to try to change.
- A Rabbit surrounded by Clover will continue to eat, but it will
probably be unable to reproduce because none of the adjacent cells
is ever open. That makes for a very fat Rabbit. (This is most
noticeable when there is a Fox two or four cells northeast of the
Rabbit: it will get stuck hopping back and forth, eating.)
- A Fox surrounded by Clover is unable to move. That just seems a
bit odd.
- A single Rabbit in a field of Clover can be seen to chew
its way to the southwest. Why should that happen?
- The “Bunny Wave of Death” sometimes sweeps across
the island, obliterating all Clover in its path. First, it is odd
to see this coordinated behavior in a class called Rabbit (perhaps
it would make sense if the class were Locust). Second, the waves
seem to travel primarily to the northeast.
One might wonder if the directional biases arise from something
akin to the reason that behind the observation that cows
tend to line up north-south unless power
lines interfere?
Cary Gray
Last modified: Mon Oct 31 15:17:06 CDT 2011