com.rubecula.darwin.domain.helper
Interface ExPhen

All Superinterfaces:

Expression

All Known Implementing Classes:

ExPhen_, ExPhen_Castor, ExPhen_TS

public interface ExPhen
extends Expression

Type to represent an "extended phenotype" that is to say a variant of an EcoFactor which has been modified by an organism whose Genome is expressed as the ExPhen.

Author:

Robin Hillyard

Method Summary

boolean	applyToEnvironment(java.lang.Object criterion) Using the value of this extended phenotype, determine whether or not to update the environment accordingly.
EcoFactor	getEcoFactor()
java.lang.Object	getValue()

Method Detail

applyToEnvironment

boolean applyToEnvironment(java.lang.Object criterion)

Using the value of this extended phenotype, determine whether or not to update the environment accordingly. By way of an illustration, suppose our extended phenotype is a dam built by a beaver. Is it substantial enough to hold back water (the criterion)? If so, determine how much the water level will rise and mark the appropriate area as being under water (i.e. change the environment).

Parameters:

criterion - application-specific criterion for determining how to process this ExPhen

Returns:

true if the environment has been updated.

getEcoFactor

EcoFactor getEcoFactor()

Returns:

a modified version of one of the eco factors belonging to the environment in which the expressed Genome resides.

getValue

java.lang.Object getValue()

Returns:

the "value" of this extended phenotype.