Glossary

Params Pipeline

KernelParams: serialized kernel parameter set (r, b, w, a, m, s, h, R). Codable struct, used as genotype on SavedCreature and SimulationResultData.params.
KernelParamRanges: per-parameter min/max bounds for random sampling and mutation.
ResolvedParams: runtime-resolved version of kernel params with seed; call .toKernelParams() to serialize.

genotype (SavedCreature.genotype): KernelParams defining the kernel configuration.
initial condition (SavedCreature.initialCondition): InitConfig specifying seed, patches, uniform ranges, and state patches that define the starting grid state.
initial condition family: string classifier for the initial condition type (uniform, patched, state-patch).
phenotype: measurable behavioral outcomes from a run (motion, mass, occupancy, activity). Not a stored field on SavedCreature — this word refers to observable dynamics, not the initial condition.

metrics (SimulationMetrics): creature-level summary stats (mass, speed, occupancy, gyration, heading) from world snapshots, plus ecosystem-level summaries (activity*, survivalSteps) from activity traces.
morphometrics (Morphometrics): derived morphology features computed from metrics (tortuosity, limb count, symmetry).
descriptor bundle (MorphospaceDescriptorBundle): genotype + phenotype descriptors used for morphospace embedding.

taxonomy: family/genus/species grouping framework over indexed creatures.
species fingerprint: canonical genotype vector hash used for species-level identity.

Flow Lenia: mass-transport variant of Lenia that updates state via flow + reintegration.
ecology embedding: exported parameter-space table used for cross-run structure analysis.
compendium: SQLite index over run artifacts and derived records.
run id: immutable run identifier used to join artifacts, logs, and indexed rows.
config hash: topology fingerprint for reproducibility and comparability.
universe: the physics rules and parameter space governing simulation — LeniaBaseConfig / LeniaRuntimeConfig. Grid topology, kernel structure, connectivity, flow/reintegration parameters, resolved kernel params. Normally fixed for a run; beam mutation promotes universe parameters into the world state, making them locally varying.
world state: the instantaneous spatial state of the grid — WorldState (width/height/channels/values). Changes each timestep under the universe’s rules. Includes the activity field (mass per channel), parameter embedding field, and food field when present.
ecosystem: emergent population-level dynamics measured over a trajectory — ActivitySummary (time series of species counts, diversity, EAP/EAC/EAN). Requires multiple timesteps and component tracking. The activity* fields on SimulationMetrics are time-collapsed ecosystem observations.

Use “morphology” for descriptive language and interpretation.
Use “morphometrics” for stored computed fields.
Use “taxonomy” only for explicit grouping assignments, not informal labels.
Use “phenotype” for observable behavior; use “initial condition” for the InitConfig starting state.
SimulationMetrics spans two levels — creature-level metrics (mass, speed, shape) from world snapshots, and ecosystem-level metrics (activity*, survivalSteps) from activity summaries.