Generalized modeling of ecological population dynamics

Abstract

Over the past years several authors have used the approach of generalized modeling to study the dynamics of food chains and food webs. Generalized models come close to the efficiency of random matrix models, while being as directly interpretable as conventional differential-equation-based models. Here we present a pedagogical introduction to the approach of generalized modeling. This introduction places more emphasis on the underlying concepts of generalized modeling than previous publications. Moreover, we propose a shortcut that can significantly accelerate the formulation of generalized models and introduce an iterative procedure that can be used to refine existing generalized models by integrating new biological insights.

References in corpus (4)

• Structural Kinetic Modeling of Metabolic Networks
• Generalized models as a universal approach to the analysis of nonlinear dynamical systems
• Food Quality in Producer-Grazer Models: A Generalized Analysis
• Local dynamical equivalence of certain food webs

Cited by in corpus (10)

• Collapse of an ecological network in Ancient Egypt
• Master stability functions reveal diffusion-driven pattern formation in networks
• How to predict community responses to perturbations in the face of imperfect knowledge and network complexity
• Impact of dispersal on the stability of metapopulations
• Far-ranging generalist top predators enhance the stability of meta-foodwebs
• Generalized modeling of empirical social-ecological systems
• Mesoscale symmetries explain dynamical equivalence of food webs
• Nonlocal Generalized Models of Predator-Prey Systems
• Stability of networks of delay-coupled delay oscillators
• Master Stability Functions for metacommunities with two types of habitats