Related papers: Complexity and fragility in ecological networks
Many biological, ecological and economic systems are best described by weighted networks, as the nodes interact with each other with varying strength. However, most network models studied so far are binary, the link strength being either 0…
The structure of complex networks has been of interest in many scientific and engineering disciplines over the decades. A number of studies in the field have been focused on finding the common properties among different kinds of networks…
One of the famous results of network science states that networks with heterogeneous connectivity are more susceptible to epidemic spreading than their more homogeneous counterparts. In particular, in networks of identical nodes it has been…
Geometric and structural constraints greatly restrict the selection of folds adapted by protein backbones, and yet, folded proteins show an astounding diversity in functionality. For structure to have any bearing on function, it is thus…
Despite centuries of work on containment and mitigation strategies, infectious diseases are still a major problem facing humanity. This work is concerned with simulating heterogeneous contact structures and understanding how the structure…
Highly dynamic networks are characterized by frequent changes in the availability of communication links. These networks are often partitioned into several components, which split and merge unpredictably. We present a distributed algorithm…
A central issue in complex networks is tolerance to random failures and intentional attacks. Current literature emphasizes the dichotomy between networks with a power-law node connectivity distribution, which are robust to random failures…
The abundance of data about social relationships allows the human behavior to be analyzed as any other natural phenomenon. Here we focus on balance theory, stating that social actors tend to avoid establishing cycles with an odd number of…
We investigate the dynamics of two models of biological networks with purely suppressive interactions between the units; species interacting via niche competition and neurons via inhibitory synaptic coupling. In both of these cases,…
Disordered systems theory provides powerful tools to analyze the generic behaviors of highdimensional systems, such as species-rich ecological communities or neural networks. By assuming randomness in their interactions, universality…
The analysis of some species-rich, well-defined food webs shows that they display the so called Small World behavior shared by a number of disparate complex systems. The three systems analysed (Ythan estuary web, Silwood web and the Little…
In the past two decades, significant advances have been made in understanding the structural and functional properties of biological networks, via graph-theoretic analysis. In general, most graph-theoretic studies are conducted in the…
Robustness of ecological flow networks under random failure of arcs is considered with respect to two different functionalities: coherence and circulation. In our previous work, we showed that each functionality is associated with a natural…
Resilient ecological systems will be better able to maintain their structure and function in the emerging Anthropocene. Estimating the resilience of different systems will therefore provide valuable insight for conservation decision-makers,…
Population structure can be modelled by evolutionary graphs, which can have a substantial, but very subtle influence on the fate of the arising mutants. Individuals are located on the nodes of these graphs, competing with each other to…
Systems as diverse as genetic networks or the world wide web are best described as networks with complex topology. A common property of many large networks is that the vertex connectivities follow a scale-free power-law distribution. This…
Empirical estimation of critical points at which complex systems abruptly flip from one state to another is among the remaining challenges in network science. However, due to the stochastic nature of critical transitions it is widely…
Many complex networks, including human societies, the Internet, the World Wide Web and power grids, have surprising properties that allow vertices (individuals, nodes, Web pages, etc.) to be in close contact and information to be…
When studying a complex system it is often useful to think of the system as a network of interacting units. One can then ask if some properties of the entire network are already explained by a small part of the network - a network motif. A…
Control of the living cell functions with remarkable reliability despite the stochastic nature of the underlying molecular networks -- a property presumably optimized by biological evolution. We here ask to what extent the property of a…