Modelling the effects of dispersal on metacommunity dynamics

我建议的研究将集中于了解物种的扩散如何影响生态系统的元群落动态。将考虑在多个不同群落之间的随机扩散和密度相关(适合度相关)扩散。正在考虑的模型包括(I)捕食者-被捕食者模型、(Ii)竞争模型、(Iii)行内捕食模型和(Iv)传染病模型。将研究导致网络拓扑结构不同的各种分散模式。我试图量化扩散在(1)平衡点的存在和稳定性，特别是共存平衡点，(2)持续和灭绝，(3)瞬变时空动力学和(4)渐近时空动力学上的作用。我还研究了扩散模式和扩散策略之间的相互作用的影响，并试图确定导致生态系统中经常观察到的复杂行为的生态因素，如生态系统的波动和混乱。该项目计划培养6名研究生和4名本科生HQP和2名博士后研究员。与这些HQP密切合作，我将开发新的数学和计算技术来处理复杂的非线性系统，并利用大数据科学来拟合和验证提出的模型。预期的新结果将增进我们对生态扩散如何影响元群落的瞬时(短期)和渐近(长期)时空动态的理解，并导致对生态系统管理的有用见解。

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.