Life Sciences Commons^™

The Potential For The Use Of Agent-Based Models In Ecotoxicology, Christopher J. Topping, Trine Dalkvist, Valery E. Forbes, Volker Grimm, Richard M. Sibly

Valery E Forbes

This chapter introduces ABMs, their construction, and the pros and cons of their use. Although relatively new, agent-based models (ABMs) have great potential for use in ecotoxicological research – their primary advantage being the realistic simulations that can be constructed and particularly their explicit handling of space and time in simulations. Examples are provided of their use in ecotoxicology primarily exemplified by different implementations of the ALMaSS system. These examples presented demonstrate how multiple stressors, landscape structure, details regarding toxicology, animal behavior, and socioeconomic effects can and should be taken into account when constructing simulations for risk assessment. Like ecological …