Digital Evolution for Ecology Research: A Review

Abstract

In digital evolution, populations of computational organisms evolve via the same principles that govern natural selection in nature. These platforms have been used effectively as a controlled system to conduct evolutionary experiments and develop novel evolutionary theories. In addition to their complex evolutionary dynamics, many digital evolution systems produce rich ecological communities. As a result, digital evolution is also a powerful tool for research on eco-evolutionary dynamics. Here, we review the current research in which digital evolution platforms have been used to address eco-evolutionary (and in some cases purely ecological) questions. This work has spanned various topics, including competition, facilitation, parasitism, predation, and macro-ecological scaling laws. We argue for the value of further ecological research in digital evolution systems and present some promising directions for further research.