modelRxiv: A platform for the distribution, computation and interactive display of models

Abstract

Modeling the dynamics of biological processes is ubiquitous across the ecological and evolutionary disciplines. However, the increasing complexity of these models poses a significant challenge to the dissemination of model-derived results. With the existing requirements of scientific publishing, most often only a small subset of model results are generated, presented in static figures or tables, and made available to the scientific community. Further exploration of the parameter space of a model, investigation of possible variations of a model, and validation of the results in relation to model assumptions commonly rely on local deployment of code supplied by the authors. This can pose a technical challenge due to the diversity of frameworks and environments in which models are developed, and preclude model validation and exploration by readers and reviewers. To address this issue, we developed a platform that serves as an interactive repository of biological models, called modelRxiv. The platform provides a unified interface for the analysis of models that does not require any technical understanding of the model implementation. To facilitate adding models to modelRxiv, we utilize OpenAI large-language models (LLMs) to make code written in different programming languages compatible with modelRxiv, making the platform language-agnostic. modelRxiv is designed to serve as an interactive extension of published models, allowing users to regenerate model results under user-defined parameterizations of the model. By making published models accessible, this platform promises to significantly improve the accessibility, reproducibility, and validation of ecological and evolutionary models.