Evgeny Ivanko, Aleksey Belousov

BioSystems
Volume 261, March 2026, 105711

We study the development of model biotic communities in which species play the role of environment for each other. Each experiment starts with the appearance of a single species in an abiotic environment. The properties of this initial species (together with the size of the abiotic environment) are the independent parameters of the experiment. In the following phase of macroevolutionary “unwrapping” each existing species can change its abundance (according to its current fitness) and give rise to new species (as a result of mutation). During this process, the destiny of the species becomes increasingly determined by the influence of other species rather than by the abiotic environment. With the mechanics described, artificial biotic communities experience adaptive radiation from single species to complex networks that coevolve in adaptive landscapes of their own making.
Using a number of metrics, we track the evolution of biotic communities in the hope of discovering interesting properties and patterns. We have tried to provide plausible explanations for the experiment results wherever possible. However, the main purpose of this work is not to answer questions, but rather to raise new ones, to provoke thoughts and analogies among readers with different backgrounds.

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