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From: Perry Swanborough <Perry.Swanborough@jcu.edu.au>
Subject: Re: A-Life experiment
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fstrauss@pixie.co.za (Frederik Strauss) wrote:

(snip)

>Another problem I have is that my ants get too much for my memory.
>I use linked lists, and I can get about 16000 ants before memory is
>full. I think this affects my evolution, because an ant that wants to
>reproduce, can't at that moment, along the way another ant might die
>and then the next ant who wants to reproduce can. This can cause
>weaker ants to reproduce instead of the stronger ones.
>
>Anyway, thanx for the help.
>Cu
>Fred

What you have is a density-dependence effect which is well recognized in 
ecology. When population densities get high, fecundity declines. If your 
"weaker" ants reproduce instead of your "stronger" ones occasionally, I 
wouldn't worry too much, as long as this only happens occasionally. I'm 
sure that this occasionally happens by chance in all biological systems.

Perry


