Abstract
We give a self-contained introduction to the theory of directed graphs,
leading up to the relationship between the Perron-Frobenius eigenvectors of a
graph and its autocatalytic sets. Then we discuss a particular dynamical system
on a fixed but arbitrary graph, that describes the population dynamics of
species whose interactions are determined by the graph. The attractors of this
dynamical system are described as a function of graph topology. Finally we
consider a dynamical system in which the graph of interactions of the species
coevolves with the populations of the species. We show that this system
exhibits complex dynamics including self-organization of the network by
autocatalytic sets, growth of complexity and structure, and collapse of the
network followed by recoveries. We argue that a graph theoretic classification
of perturbations of the network is helpful in predicting the future impact of a
perturbation over short and medium time scales.
Users
Please
log in to take part in the discussion (add own reviews or comments).