Methodological steps and issues when deriving individual based-models from equation-based models: A case study in population dynamics

Abstract

An important question in the simulation of complex systems concerns the emergence of global behaviours and how to model them. Individual-based models (IBM), on one hand, are designed precisely for exploring emergent phenomena, but they must be simulated (sometimes extensively) in order to detect the behaviours that could emerge at the global level. Moreover, there are no "theories of IBM" that would allow modellers to make predictions about the long-term emerging behaviours they can observe. On the other hand, equation-based models (EBM), while not exploring the same causes of emergence, represent a useful tool for making predictions about global emerging behaviours of a system, especially in the long term. In this paper, we will explore the methodological issues that arise when attempting to derive an IBM from an existing EBM model in population dynamics, dedicated to exploring the dynamics of two competing populations in a "two-patch" environment. © 2008 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.