Mould

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Mould Simulation Rules

This is a simulation of mould growth on a 20 × 20 grid. At each generation, cells can grow, age, and die based on a set of probabilistic rules.

Mould Life Cycle

• A new cell starts out white.
• It gradually turns gray over the first 10 generations.
• After 10 generations, it begins to turn red as it ages.
• Once a cell is over 10 generations old, its chance of dying in any given turn starts at 20% and increases by 5% each generation, capping at a maximum of 90%.
• The oldest cell on the grid is always highlighted with a yellow box.

Growth Conditions

The chance of a new mould cell spawning in an adjacent empty spot is determined by the number of live neighbors it has, as controlled by the sliders, and based on how ‘crowded’ it is - i.e. how many of the surrounding cells are already occupied. These sliders take effect as soon as you change them i.e. you can alter them during a run and see the results in real time.

Disasters

• Bleach Splash: This is a localized attack. Click this button, then click on the grid to apply bleach. The bleach's effect is strongest at the center and fades with distance and over time. Cells in the bleached area have a chance of dying.
• Drought: This is a global, 50-generation disaster. Empty cells turn brown, and the growth rate for all mould with 0-5 neighbors drops to 0%. However, mould in dense clusters with 6-7 neighbors gets a guaranteed 20% chance to grow, allowing them to survive and colonize.

Stats Dashboard

This dashboard provides a visual summary of the simulation's state when you press Pause.

• Occupied Cells: Shows the percentage of the grid covered by mould. The horizontal bar changes color based on density (green for low, yellow for medium, red for high), and the graph below it shows the population percentage over time.
• Population Dynamics: This bar chart provides a breakdown of the population's changes in the last generation. The bars show the number of new cells spawned and cells that died, as well as the age distribution of the mould population, divided into five equal groups (quintiles).
• Average Age: The average age of all living mould cells.
• Oldest Cell Age: The age of the single oldest cell in the simulation.
• Growth Rate: The net change in the number of mould cells since the last generation (spawns minus deaths).