Inter-site: a new tool for the simulation of spatially realistic population dynamics

The inter-site simulator, a new tool for simulating spatially realistic population dynamics, is presented. Based on a discrete-event simulation system in an object-oriented programming environment, this simulator aims to offer a general and user-extensible framework for the simulation of spatially structured populations, including metapopulation systems. The simulator is implemented in Python, a versatile member of a recent class of high-level scripting languages, and uses the Tcl/Tk/Tix libraries as GUI front-end. This paper outlines the theoretical concepts underlying the simulator, describes its architecture, and demonstrates the use of the system by re-constructing a classical, state-variable oriented model drawn from literature that investigates the relationship of meta-population persistence with spatial patch arrangement. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of the simulation approach to ecological modeling, and with contemplating the future potential of the inter-site system.