IsleBloomSim: Island Plant Competition Observatory

IsleBloomSim is an interactive ecological simulation web application designed to help users understand and explore the survival, reproduction, and competition dynamics of plant populations in a limited island environment through intuitive visualization.

It is built upon a simplified ecological model that integrates core mechanisms such as habitat adaptation, life cycles, reproductive dispersal, intra- and inter-specific competition, and genetic variation. Users can personally design an island ecosystem and observe how different plant species compete, coexist, or go extinct in a resource-constrained space.

1. Core Concepts

• Island Ecosystem: Simulates an isolated island with four main habitat types: Water, Beach, Grassland, and Forest. Different plants have specific habitat preferences and can only survive and reproduce in suitable environments.
• "Survival of the Fittest" Principle: Each plant species has unique survival strategies. By adjusting parameters, users can observe which species gain dominance through competition and which gradually decline.
• Dynamic Evolution: The simulation is not static. As rounds progress, plant population sizes, spatial distribution, and individual traits change realistically, eventually forming stable ecological patterns or dramatic population fluctuations.

2. Main Features & Gameplay

(1) Island Editor

• Freely draw island terrain using brushes for Water, Beach, Grassland, and Forest to shape the geographical environment.
• Customize plant species: Add multiple plants, each with independent settings for name, color, and preferred habitats.
• Manually place initial plants: Click directly on suitable terrain to place specific plant individuals.
• One-click random island generation or clear the map to start experiments quickly.

(2) Plant Parameter System

Each plant species has rich adjustable parameters divided into three categories:

Competition significantly reduces reproductive efficiency (effective pollination range, seed count, and seed survival rate all decrease), reflecting real ecological concepts of "density dependence" and "resource competition."

3. Simulation Mechanics

When "Start Simulation" is clicked, the system enters observation mode:

• Life Cycle: Each individual ages by one round per tick and dies naturally upon reaching its lifespan limit.
• Reproduction Process: Only mature individuals past the juvenile period can attempt reproduction. Successful pollination requires at least one other mature individual of the same species within the pollination range. Seeds are produced and randomly dispersed to surrounding suitable habitats. Seeds must pass the survival rate check to grow into new individuals.
• Competition Effect: During reproduction, competition pressure from nearby same-species and different-species individuals is calculated. The stronger the competition, the lower the reproductive success rate.
• Mutation Mechanism: Each newly born individual has its parameters slightly randomized based on the parent’s values according to the mutation rate, simulating genetic diversity.
• Spatial Limitation: Only one plant can occupy each grid cell, preventing infinite stacking.

During simulation, you can:

• View real-time surviving population counts for each species
• Pause and hover over individual plants to see detailed parameters (age, reproductive status, competition efficiency, etc.)
• View line charts showing population changes over rounds

4. Operation Tips

• Left-click and drag: Draw terrain or place plants in editor mode
• Mouse wheel: Zoom in/out on the map view
• Draggable panels: All control panels can be freely dragged
• During simulation: Pause at any time, adjust round duration, zoom the view, and view statistical charts
• Return to Editor: Switch back to editor mode anytime to modify terrain or plant parameters and restart the experiment