A Cellular Automata model for

Cellular automata are abstract mathematical tools used for modelling many dierent types of system. The aim of cellular automata is to create complex behaviour through the interaction of many simple behaviours. Dictyostelium discoideum is a slime mould with an unusual life cycle which causes individual cells to come together and act as a multicellular organism. This report presents the modelling of Dictyostelium using a cellular automaton, with the aim of reproducing its co-operative behaviour. We discuss the issues involved when attempting to model a conservative sys-tem such as a dictyostelium colony using cellular automata, and show that it is possible to create sophisticated behaviour that mimics the behaviour of the real organism using a small set of simple rules. 1