Related papers: Self-organized criticality, evolution and the foss…
We investigate extinction dynamics in the paradigmatic model of two competing species A and B that reproduce (A-->2A, B-->2B), self-regulate by annihilation (2A-->0, 2B-->0), and compete (A+B-->A, A+B-->B). For a finite system that is in…
We have generalized our ``unified'' model of evolutionary ecology by taking into account the possible movements of the organisms from one ``patch'' to another within the same eco-system. We model the spatial extension of the eco-system…
Consider a population whose size changes stepwise by its members reproducing or dying (disappearing), but is otherwise quite general. Denote the initial (non-random) size by $Z_0$ and the size of the $n$th change by $C_n$, $n= 1, 2,…
How diversity is maintained in natural ecosystems is a long-standing question in Theoretical Ecology. By studying a system that combines ecological dynamics, heterogeneous interactions and spatial structure, we uncover a new mechanism for…
This paper presents experimental evidence and theoretical models supporting that dry friction stick-slip is described by self-organized criticality. We use the data, obtained with a pin-on-disc tribometer set to measure lateral force to…
Phylogenetic diversity is a measure for describing how much of an evolutionary tree is spanned by a subset of species. If one applies this to the (unknown) subset of current species that will still be present at some future time, then this…
Standard evolutionary theories of aging and mortality, implicitly based on assumptions of spatial averaging, hold that natural selection cannot favor shorter lifespan without direct compensating benefit to individual reproductive success.…
In this work we propose a physical model of organismal evolution, where phenotype, organism life expectancy, is directly related to genotype i.e. the stability of its proteins which can be determined exactly in the model. Simulating the…
In this work we suggest and consider an original, simple mathematical model of a "quasi-rapid" extinction population dynamics. It describes a decrease and final extinction of the population of one prey species by a "quasi-rapid" interaction…
Starting from the well-known field theory for directed percolation, we describe an evolving population, near extinction, in an environment with its own nontrivial spatio-temporal dynamics. Here, we consider the special case where the…
Stochastic chemical reaction or population dynamics in finite systems often terminates in an absorbing state. Yet in large spatially extended systems, the time to reach species extinction (or fixation) becomes exceedingly long. Tuning…
We present an individual based model of evolutionary ecology. The reproduction rate of individuals characterized by their genome depends on the composition of the population in genotype space. Ecological features such as the taxonomy and…
The distributions of species lifetimes and species in space are related, since species with good local survival chances have more time to colonize new habitats and species inhabiting large areas have higher chances to survive local…
We consider excursions for a class of stochastic processes describing a population of discrete individuals experiencing density-limited growth, such that the population has a finite carrying capacity and behaves qualitatively like the…
The dynamics of ecosystem collapse are fundamental to determining how and why biological communities change through time, as well as the potential effects of extinctions on ecosystems. Here we integrate depictions of mammals from Egyptian…
We show that hyperscaling and finite-size scaling imply that the probability distribution of the order parameter in finite size critical systems exhibit data collapse. We consider the examples of equilibrium critical systems, and a…
Multilevel selection is an important organizing principle that crucially underlies evolutionary processes from the emergence of cells to eusociality and the economics of nations. Previous studies on multilevel selection assumed that the…
Ecolab and Webworld are both models of evolution produced by adding evolution to ecological equations. They differ primarily in the form of the ecological equations. Both models are self-organised to a state where extinctions balance…
Microorganisms live in environments that inevitably fluctuate between mild and harsh conditions. As harsh conditions may cause extinctions, the rate at which fluctuations occur can shape microbial communities and their diversity, but we…
We investigate how a catastrophic event (modeled as a temporary fall of the reproduction rate) increases the extinction probability of an isolated self-regulated stochastic population. Using a variant of the Verhulst logistic model as an…