Agent-based model in biology Agent-based models have many
applications in biology, primarily due to the characteristics of
the modeling method. Agent-based modeling is a rule-based,
computational modeling methodology that focuses on rules and
interactions among the individual components or the agents of
the system. The goal of this modeling method is to generate
populations of the system components of interest and simulate
their interactions in a virtual world. Agent-based models start
with rules for behavior and seek to reconstruct, through
computational instantiation of those behavioral rules, the
observed patterns of behavior. Several of the characteristics of
agent-based models important to biological studies include: -
Modular structure: The behavior of an agent-based model is
defined by the rules of its agents. Existing agent rules can be
modified or new agents can be added without having to modify the
entire model. - Emergent properties: Through the use of the
individual agents that interact locally wi