"P"  wrote
>
> The only mathematical modelling of differently "fit"
[fitness=ability to
> cope and reproductively survive] individuals interacting with
environmental
> features ... that *should* be of any interest ... are the kind of counting
that
> simulate the emergence (evolution) of a rich and increasingly complex
variety
> of stylized creatures, from likewise simulated seeds of initial
conditions, on
> computer-screens.
>
Not true. It is actually exceedingly difficult to produce a computer program
that allows for open-ended evolution, especially if it has to run in
reasonable time. Nature's system of highly flexible proteins is much
cleverer than any artifical scheme that has been devised.

However there are many other subjects for computer modelling. Darwin's
theory is simple, but when you allow sexual recombination, or altruism, then
you can rapidly get some complex models. For instance males and females
contribute equally to the next generation, but does this necessarily mean
that there can be no sexual conflict? Does the handicap principle of sexual
selection work? Can group selection be made effective or will freeloading
group members always destroy any co-operation that builds up? Computer
modelling can give insights into questions like these, though it cannot
replace field observations. You always need to see if the model appears to
have a real analogue.
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