Netlogo polyploidization model

Abstract

Polyploidization is associated with lineage-specific changes that promote divergence and reinforce speciation. Knowledge about the establishment of neopolyploids is fragmentary, and models are hampered by mathematical complexity and analytical limitations. We use NetLogo to build a scalable easy-to-use command center for analyzing complex diploid-polyploid interactions. The workspace is a multilayered environment whose eco-variables fluctuate between generations. Reproductive syndromes, recombinant/clonal inheritance and complex traits (adaptivity, niche breadth, dispersal) are used to elicit fitness values and monitor population spatial dynamics. The model is mathematically robust, computationally feasible and biologically realistic. The modelling framework offers opportunities for in-depth lineage-specific analyzes of the spatiotemporal dynamics and evolutionary differentiation in diploid-polyploid systems.