18. "COMPUTER PROCESSING OF INFORMATION ON ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS" 
J.S. Olson & M.F. Olson 
Oak Ridge National Laboratory 
Oak Rdige, Tenn. 
Existing computer programs for documentation and indexing of 
literature can be adapted for rapid dissemination of information about 
communities of plants, animals and environments (ecosystems) and about 
current research on these natural and man-modified systems. Examples 
include permutation indexing programs and other approaches to retrieval 
of scientific knowledge. Presently available programs and new ones 
should help in organizing existing information on the state of landscapes 
and waters, on their changes, and on the mutual influences between parts 
of any ecosystem which tend to explain stability or instability in the 
system as a whole. A COMpartmental SYStem simulation program provides 
numerical and graphic display of the kinds of ecosystem behavior which 
follow from given hypotheses about the initial condition of the system 
ana the transfers of matter or energy between its parts. It can also 
represent successional change of a given area, or the redistribution 
of area between different kinds of vegetation if the probabilities of 
successional change between types can be estimated. 
Electronic data processing of simple kinds (punchcards, punch 
tapes) and more elaborate uses of computers can be very helpful in 
saving time and confusion about plant and animal names. One example is 
the "Oak Rioge, Tennessee, Flora" which was generated from punchcards 
and IBM 1401 to punchtape, which in turn composed the complete text 
and checklists in upper and lower case type. A map of trees located 
near the entrance of the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge 
was generated by a CALCOMP plotter. Several useful guidelines for the 
wider use of automation in Botanical Gardens have emerged from the 
International Plant Records Center Pilot Project. Many applications of 
similar methods can be anticipated in several sections of the International 
Biological Program. 
19. "SIMULACION DE LOS PROCESOS EVOLUCIONARIOS Y SU 
APLICACION EN LA ENSENANZA 
0. T. Sobring 
Departamento de BotAnica, Universidad de Michigan, 
Ann Arbor, Mich. U.S.A. 
Fendmenos evolucionarios contienen un elemento estadis- 
tico im^ortante, y por lo tanto se prestan al manipuleo 
por medio de computadoras electrdnicas. Varios modelos- 
han sido producidos para simular las condiciones que — 
nroducen hibridacidn entre dos especies, y para prede-- 
▲ 
cir el futuro de tales fendmenos. Las variantes estudia 
das son: numero cromosdmico, fertilidad. del hibrido, - 
tamano de la poblacidn y preferencias ecoldgicas. El - 
modelo ha sido adaptado para la ensenanza en el labora- 
torio en el curso de Evolucidn OrgAnica en la Universi¬ 
dad de Michigan, usando una computadora IBM-360. 
Modelos de este tipo se prestan para la interpretacidn 
de problemas taxondmicos y evolucionarios. Usando datos 
obtenidos a traves de la experimentacidn biosis'temAtica 
complementados con datos obtenidos de ejemplares de her 
bario, abren nuevas posibilidades para el funcionamien- 
to del herbario. 
