Abstract

Individual-based models, ‘IBMs’, describe naturally the dynamics of interacting organisms or social or financial agents. They are considered too complex for mathematical analysis, but computer simulations of them cannot give the general insights required. Here, we resolve this problem with a general mathematical framework for IBMs containing interactions of an unlimited level of complexity, and derive equations that reliably approximate the effects of space and stochasticity. We provide software, specified in an accessible and intuitive graphical way, so any researcher can obtain analytical and simulation results for any particular IBM without algebraic manipulation. We illustrate the framework with examples from movement ecology, conservation biology, and evolutionary ecology. This framework will provide unprecedented insights into a hitherto intractable panoply of complex models across many scientific fields.

Details

Title
A unified framework for analysis of individual-based models in ecology and beyond
Author
Cornell, Stephen J 1 ; Suprunenko, Yevhen F 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Finkelshtein, Dmitri 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Somervuo, Panu 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ovaskainen, Otso 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

1  Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK 
2  Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK; Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK 
3  Department of Mathematics, Swansea University, Swansea, UK 
4  Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland 
5  Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway 
Pages
1-14
Publication year
2019
Publication date
Oct 2019
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12172-y
ProQuest document ID
2306485036
Copyright
© 2019. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.