Berlin 2015 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

SOE: Fachverband Physik sozio-ökonomischer Systeme

SOE 5: Networks: From Topology to Dynamics I (joint session SOE / DY / BP)

SOE 5.2: Talk

Monday, March 16, 2015, 12:30–12:45, MA 001

Possible Origin of Stagnation and Variability of Earth’s Biodiversity — •Jan Nagler¹, Theo Geisel², and Frank Stollmeier² — ¹ETH Zurich — ²MPI DS, Göttingen

The magnitude and variability of Earth’s biodiversity have puzzled scientists ever since paleontologic fossil databases became available. We identify and study a model of interdependent species where both endogenous and exogenous impacts determine the nonstationary extinction dynamics. The framework provides an explanation for the qualitative difference of marine and continental biodiversity growth. In particular, the stagnation of marine biodiversity may result from a global transition from an imbalanced to a balanced state of the species dependency network. The predictions of our framework are in agreement with paleontologic databases.
[1] Stollmeier, Geisel, Nagler, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 228101 (2014)