The network Tierra experiment [7] attempts to create a digital environment within which replicators can evolve freely by natural selection in the digital equivalent of an ecosystem. The original Tierra experiment [4,5,6] also created such an environment, however, only modest increases in complexity were observed.
The network environment provides additional selective forces, which potentially could favor the kind of complexity increase that is sought in this study. The digital organisms are mobile, and feed on CPU cycles. Therefore, selection can potentially support the evolution of network foraging strategies.