1305.4253 (P. P. Avelino et al.)

String networks in generalized May-Leonard models    [PDF]

P. P. Avelino, D. Bazeia, J. Menezes, B. F. de Oliveira

Generalized May-Leonard models have proven to be a powerful tool in the study of the dynamics complex biological and ecological systems. In this letter we give specific examples of models leading to the formation of string networks. We show that, in order to promote coexistence, the species may arrange themselves around regions with a high number density of empty sites generated by predator-prey interactions between competing species. These configurations extend into the third dimension giving rise to string networks. We investigate the corresponding dynamics using both stochastic and mean field theory simulations, showing that the coarsening of these string networks follows a scaling law which is analogous to that found in other physical systems in condensed matter and cosmology.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1305.4253