Mehrotra Ravi, Soni Vikram, Jain Sanjay
National Physical Laboratory, K. S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi 110012, India.
J R Soc Interface. 2009 Sep 6;6(38):793-9. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2008.0412. Epub 2008 Nov 25.
We study an evolutionary model of a complex system that evolves under catalytic dynamics and Darwinian selection and exhibits spontaneous growth, stasis and then a collapse of its structure. We find that the typical lifetime of the system increases sharply with the diversity of its components or species. We also find that the prime reason for crashes is a naturally occurring internal fragility of the system. This fragility is captured in the network organizational character and is related to a reduced multiplicity of pathways or feedback loops between its components. These results apply to several generalizations of the model as well. This work suggests new parameters for understanding the robustness of evolving molecular networks, ecosystems, societies and markets.
我们研究了一个复杂系统的进化模型，该系统在催化动力学和达尔文选择作用下进化，呈现出自发增长、停滞，然后其结构崩溃的过程。我们发现，系统的典型寿命随着其组成部分或物种的多样性急剧增加。我们还发现，系统崩溃的主要原因是其天然存在的内部脆弱性。这种脆弱性体现在网络组织特征中，并且与系统组成部分之间路径或反馈回路的多重性降低有关。这些结果也适用于该模型的几种推广形式。这项工作为理解不断进化的分子网络、生态系统、社会和市场的稳健性提出了新的参数。
