FOR 1748: Networks on Networks: The Interplay of Structure and Dynamics in Spatial Ecological Networks

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The goal of this Research Unit consists in achieving an understanding of the structure and dynamics of spatially extended ecosystems by using mathematical models. Ecosystems are threatened by climatic changes and direct human interference such as the killing of species and the fragmentation of the habitat of many species. Due to the large complexity of ecosystems, it is not easy to predict how these changes affect the stability of ecosystems and which species run the highest risk of extinction. For several decades, ecosystems have been modelled mathematically in order to answer these and similar questions. Such models essentially include feeding relationships between species, since food supply is the most important factor at determining the survival of a species. However, only few publications consider models that include the spatial structure of an ecosystem that contains many species. This is the point where this Research Unit intends to make an important contribution. The researchers investigate how the survival of species and the stability of ecosystems depend on the structure of space, the migration of species between different areas and the feeding relationships. In order to answer these questions using mathematical models, it is important to choose models that are, on the one hand, sufficiently realistic so that valid conclusions can be obtained, on the other hand, the models must be simple enough to allow the computer simulation of many species on many spacial patches. The researchers of this Research Unit contribute the different types of expertise required for this project: They have access to many empirical data for spatially extended ecosystems, they know how ecosystems are structured and how the increase and decrease of populations due to predation and other factors is mathematically described, and they have developed mathematical methods for calculating efficiently the stability of ecosystems. Equipped with these tools, the researchers want to investigate how the spatial arrangement and size of habitats affect the survival and the range of species and how the stability of ecosystems depends on the complexity of the feeding relationships and of space.