Modelling the effects of dispersal on metacommunity dynamics

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My proposed research will focus on understanding how dispersal of species affect the metacommunity dynamics of ecological systems. Random dispersal and density-dependent (fitness-dependent) dispersal among multiple distinct communities will be considered. Models under consideration include (i) predator-prey models, (ii) competition models, (iii) intraguild predation models and (iv) infectious disease models. Various dispersal patterns resulting in different configurations of network topology will be studied. I seek to quantify the role of dispersal on (1) the existence and stability of equilibria, especially the coexistence equilibria, (2) persistence and extinction, (3) the transient spatiotemporal dynamics and (4) the asymptotic spatiotemporal dynamics. I also study the impacts of the interplay between dispersal patterns and dispersal strategies, and attempt to identify the ecological factors that give rise to the frequently observed complex behavior such as fluctuations and chaos in ecosystems. This program plans to train 6 graduate and 4 undergraduate HQP and 2 postdoctoral fellows. Closely working with these HQPs, I will develop novel mathematical and computational techniques to deal with complex nonlinear systems and make use of big data science to fit and validate proposed models. The expected new results will promote our understanding on how ecological dispersal affects the metacommunity's transient (short-term) and asymptotic (long-term) spatiotemporal dynamics and lead to useful insights on management of ecosystems.