Biological & Soft Matter Seminar: Statistical Physics of High-Diversity Ecosystems

Abstract:

Ecosystems often contain many different species which interact in complex ways. How do so many species coexist, and what this implies for the properties of the system, remain major open questions. We study models that embrace the complexity of such diverse communities, by assuming that there are many interaction mechanisms in play, and ask for the generic and typical outcomes for the ecosystem.

I will describe some of our findings, including dynamical phase transitions; the existence of "thermodynamic" variables that predict system-wide properties; and predictions for the structure of interaction networks, with comparison to experimental data.