Using agent-based modelling algorithms to analyze the impacts of toxic contaminations on Lake Ontario ecosystem

Recent advances in computer technology have brought a revolution in ecological modelling. Ecoinformatics and computational ecology make use of various programs, including agent-based modeling algorithms, to study ecological systems. In this study, an in-silico analysis was performed using an agent based modelling software, to analyze the impacts of a potential toxin on Lake Ontario ecosystem. For easier duplication of the real world into the virtual system, the ecosystem was divided into 6 compartments. These compartments include phytoplankton, zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, forage fish, piscivores, and sea lamprey. The test model was performed under five different concentrations of toxin. Each test was repeated 15 times to reduce demographic stochasticity. The results suggest that toxic contaminations, such as mercury, could potentially lead to population reduction in forage fish, piscivores and sea lamprey compartments. Les progres recents relies a la technologie informatique ont amene une revolution dans la modelisation ecologique. L’eco-informatique et l’ecologie computationnelle utilisent plusieurs programmes, y compris des algorithmes bases sur les systemes multiagents pour etudier les systemes ecologiques. Dans cette etude, une analyse in silico a ete accomplie en utilisant les systemes multiagents pour analyser les impacts d’une toxine potentielle dans l’ecosysteme du Lac Ontario. Afin de mieux ameliorer la representation du monde reel dans le systeme virtuel, l’ecosysteme du Lac d’Ontario a ete divise en six compartiments. Ces compartiments comprennent le phytoplancton, le zooplancton, les macroinvertebres, les poissons fourragers, les piscivores et la lamproie marine. Ce modele a ete examine sous cinq concentrations des toxines differentes. Chaque examen a ete repete 15 fois pour reduire la stochasticite demographique. Les resultats suggerent que des contaminations toxiques, comme la contamination par le mercure, pourraient potentiellement arriver a une reduction de la population des poissons fourragers, des piscivores et des compartiments de la lamproie marine.