Solving Parameter Identification of Nonlinear Problems by Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm

A new optimization method based on artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is presented for solving parameter identification problems. The ABC algorithm as a swarm intelligent optimization algorithm is inspired by honey bee foraging. In this paper, for the first time, the ABC method is developed to determine the optimum parameters of Bouc-Wen hysteretic systems. The proposed method exhibits efficiency, robustness, and insensitivity to noise-corrupted data. The results of the ABC are compared with those other optimization algorithms from the literature to show the efficiency of this technique for solving parameter identification problems

Naturally-Primed Life Strategy Plasticity Of Dimorphic Aethionema Arabicum Facilitates Optimal Habitat Colonization

Plasticity in plant dispersal traits can maximise the ability of a plant species to survive in stressful environments during colonization. Aethionema arabicum (Brassicaceae) is a dimorphic annual species that is hypothesized to survive stressful conditions during colonization due to adaptive plasticity in life-phase (vegetative vs sexual) and fruit morph (dehiscent [DEH] vs indehiscent fruits [IND]). We tested for adaptive plasticity in life-phase and fruit morphs along laboratory environmental stress gradients found in the natural habitats of Ae. arabicum. We considered optimal environmental conditions (750–2000 m above sea level) to be those that resulted in the following fitness parameters: higher biomass and a higher total number of fruits compared to stressful habitats. We found evidence of plasticity in life-phase and fruit-morph along a stressful environmental gradient. High hydrothermal stress proportionally increased the number of dehiscent morphs and non-dormant seeds germinating in autumn. This offsets natural phenology towards dry and cold winter (less hydrothermal stress), yielding fewer fruits that dehisce in the next generation. We conclude that the plastic responses of Ae. arabicum to natural stress gradients constitute a strategy of long-term adaptive benefits and favouring potential pathways of colonisation of the optimal habitat.PubMedWoSScopu