Matrix models

Models based on matrix algebra are frequently used in ecology for modelling population dynamics, with the population disaggregated into age- or size-classes. Simile does have the ability to do matrix calculations with arrays but, as mentioned above, a more appropriate way of handling such problems is to view a class as being an object, and then specify that there are as many instances as there are classes. Class attributes, such as age-specific fecundity and mortality rates, can then be expressed as attributes of each instance.