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Zusatztext "Throughout the volume, the authors provide examples of rigorous mathematical treatment and ecological problems of local and global significance using concepts and tools of statistical physics. These examples, as well as a solid background on the applicability of fundamental laws of physics in ecology, could provide excellent supplemental formation for theoretical ecology courses." ---Igor Linkov, Quarterly Review of Biology Informationen zum Autor Ricard V. Solé & Jordi Bascompte Klappentext Can physics be an appropriate framework for the understanding of ecological science? Most ecologists would probably agree that there is little relation between the complexity of natural ecosystems and the simplicity of any example derived from Newtonian physics. Though ecologists have long been interested in concepts originally developed by statistical physicists and later applied to explain everything from why stock markets crash to why rivers develop particular branching patterns, applying such concepts to ecosystems has remained a challenge. Self-Organization in Complex Ecosystems is the first book to clearly synthesize what we have learned about the usefulness of tools from statistical physics in ecology. Ricard Solé and Jordi Bascompte provide a comprehensive introduction to complex systems theory, and ask: do universal laws shape the structure of ecosystems, at least at some scales? They offer the most compelling array of theoretical evidence to date of the potential of nonlinear ecological interactions to generate nonrandom, self-organized patterns at all levels. Tackling classic ecological questions--from population dynamics to biodiversity to macroevolution--the book's novel presentation of theories and data shows the power of statistical physics and complexity in ecology. Self-Organization in Complex Ecosystems will be a staple resource for years to come for ecologists interested in complex systems theory as well as mathematicians and physicists interested in ecology. Zusammenfassung Deals with the usefulness of tools from statistical physics in ecology. This book provides an introduction to complex systems theory, and asks whether universal laws shape the structure of ecosystems. Tackling classic ecological questions, its presentation of theories and data focuses on the power of statistical physics and complexity in ecology. Inhaltsverzeichnis List of Figures and Tables xi Acknowledgments xv Chapter 1: Complexity in Ecological Systems 1 The Newtonian Paradigm in Physics 2 Dynamics and Thermodynamics 6 Emergent Properties 10 Ecosystems as Complex Adaptive Systems 13 Chapter 2: Nonlinear Dynamics 17 The Balance of Nature?17 Population Cycles 19 Catastrophes and Breakpoints 27 Deterministic Chaos 31 Evidence of Bifurcations in Nature 34 Unpredictability and Forecasting 42 The Ecology of Universality 48 Evidence of Chaos in Nature 50 Criticisms of Chaos 58 Complex Dynamics:The Interplay between Noise and Nonlinearities 61 Chapter 3: Spatial Self-Organization:From Pattern to Process 65 Space:The Missing Ingredient 65 Turing Instabilities 68 Coupled Map Lattice Models 84 Looking for Self-Organizing Spatial Patterns in Nature 95 Dispersal and Complex Dynamics 98 Spatial Synchrony in Population Cycles 108 When Is Space Relevant?A Trade-Off between Simplicity and Realism 117 Coevolution and Diffusion in Phenotype Space 123 Chapter 4: Scaling and Fractals in Ecology 127 Scaling and Fractals 127 Fractal Time Series 137 Percolation 139 Nonequilibrium Phase Transitions 144 The Branching Process 146 The Contact Process:Complexity Made Simple 149 Random Walks and Levy Flights in Population Dynamics 151 Percolation and Scaling in Random Graphs 156 Ecological Multifractals 162 Self-Organized Critical Phenomena 165 Complexity from Simplicity 168 Chapter 5: Habitat Loss and Extinction Thresholds 171 Hab...
