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Many current challenges involve understanding the complex dynamical interplay between the constituents of systems. Typically, the number of such constituents is high, but only limited data sources on them are available. Conventional dynamical models of complex systems are rarely mathematically tractable and their numerical exploration suffers both from computational and data limitations. Here we review generalized modeling, an alternative approach for formulating dynamical models to gain insights into dynamics and bifurcations of uncertain systems. We argue that this approach deals elegantly with the uncertainties that exist in real world data and enables analytical insight or highly efficient numerical investigation. We provide a survey of recent successes of generalized modeling and a guide to the application of this modeling approach in future studies such as complex integrative ecological models.

Paper published:

Master stability functions for metacommunities with two types of habitats

Current questions in ecology revolve around instabilities in the dynamics on spatial networks and particularly the effect of node heterogeneity. We extend the master stability function formalism to inhomogeneous biregular networks having two types of spatial nodes. Notably, this class of systems also allows the investigation of certain types of dynamics on higher-order networks. Combined with the generalized modeling approach to study the linear stability of steady states, this is a powerful tool to numerically asses the stability of large ensembles of systems. We analyze the stability of ecological metacommunities with two distinct types of habitats analytically and numerically in order to identify several sets of conditions under which the dynamics can become stabilized by dispersal. Our analytical approach allows general insights into stabilizing and destabilizing effects in metapopulations. Specifically, we identify self-regulation and negative feedback loops between source and sink populations as stabilizing mechanisms and we show that maladaptive dispersal may be stable under certain conditions.

New Building

Publications

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Thilo is now editorial board member for Frontiers Eco Evo

Submission Madness

The end of the year is now officially approaching and as always there are still tons of things that need to be finished. We submitted three manuscripts this week and at least one more will be submitted early December.

PhD Days

The predocs of the lab presented their work at AWI PhD days last week, to much positive response from the audience.

Fastnet.jl published

Our network simulation package Fastnet is now an official Julia package.

Using Fastnet one can easily implement discrete event network simulations

People

New Group Member

Melanie is joining the lab for a research practical.

Our AIS station has moved to the coast

New Group Member

Our new researcher Rana has arrived. Welcome to Oldenburg!

Is this summer?

100th group publication

I just added the 100th article to our list of published papers. Pedro's paper wins the prize for being No. 100.

We are now an official producer of AIS data

Data Miniworkshop

Looking forward to a mini-workshop that we are having tomorrow together with researchers from the University of Bielefeld Operations Research department.

New Member

Our new researcher Laura is arriving this week. Welcome to the team!

Seminar in Aalto

Thilo is giving a seminar in Aalto this week. Remote events have their advantages, but still missing out on a chance to visit Finland is sad.

Remember the good times