Creating Evolutionary Simulations

This part of the site is still under construction. Check back in the future to see more detail regarding the development of individual-based evolutionary simulations.

Getting Started

The development of individual-based simulations requires at least some rudimentary programming skills. Our models are written in C++, and the exact implementation of C++ depends on the goals of the model and the preferences of the programmer. Adam Jones, the author of the G-matrix program that has produced most of our group's research results, prefers C++ Builder from CodeGear, whereas Muhammad Arian, the author of the simulation model that's available for download on our See it Evolve page, uses Visual C++ from Microsoft. Regardless, some knowledge of a high level programming language is probably necessary for the development of simulations that will run quickly enough to be useful. Many good books on C++ are available, and usually it's enough to grasp about the first half of the book.

Writing the Program

This part of the page will have to wait for future updates. It turns out that an entire book could be filled with information regarding the use of C++ for the development of individual-based evolutionary simulations, and we are working on at least a short tutorial. It may take many months to produce this document, however.

Jones Lab * Reinhard Bürger * Steve Arnold * Biology Department * Texas A&M University