Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In any ecological system, organisms need to interact with each other for their survival. Such interactions form ecological networks which are usually very complex. Nevertheless, they
exhibit well de ned patterns; these regularities are often interpreted as products of meaningful
ecological processes. As the networks are evolving through time, biological evolution
is one of the factors that affects ecological network architecture. In this work, we develop a
mathematical model that represents the evolution through time of such ecological interaction
networks. The problem is approached by modelling network evolution as a continuous time
Markov process, in such a way that the interactions in which a parent species is involved
are potentially inherited by its descendant species. This approach allows us to infer ecological
parameters and ecological network histories from real-world network data, as well as
to simulate ecological networks under our model. While ecologists have long been aware of
the in uence of evolutionary processes in shaping ecological networks, we are now able to
evaluate the importance of such in uence. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In enige ekologiese stelsel benodig organismes wisselwerkings met mekaar ten einde te oorleef.
Sulke interaksies vorm ekologiese netwerke wat gewoonlik baie kompleks is maar nogtans
goed-gede nieerde patrone vertoon. Hierdie patrone word dikwels geïnterpreteer as die produk
van betekenisvolle ekologiese prosesse. Aangesien die netwerke met die verloop van
tyd ontwikkel, is biologiese ewolusie een van die faktore wat ekologiese netwerkargitektuur
beïnvloed. In hierdie studie ontwikkel ons 'n wiskundige model wat die ewolusie van sulke
ekologiese interaksienetwerke voorstel. Die probleem word benader deur netwerkewolusie as
'n kontinue-tyd Markov-proses te modelleer, op so 'n manier dat die interaksies waarin 'n
voorouerspesie betrokke is potensieel oorerf kan word deur die afstammelingspesies. Hierdie
benadering laat ons toe om ekologiese parameters en ekologiese netwerkgeskiedenisse vanuit
regte-wêreld data af te lei, sowel as om ekologiese netwerke onder ons model te simuleer.
Alhoewel ekoloë al lank reeds bewus is van die invloed wat ewolusionêre prosesse het op die vorming van ekologiese netwerke, is ons nou in staat om die belangrikheid van hierdie
invloed te evalueer.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/17990 |
Date | 12 1900 |
Creators | Minoarivelo, Henintsoa Onivola |
Contributors | Sheffler, Konrad, Hui, Cang, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Science. Dept. of Mathematical Sciences. |
Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
Language | en_ZA |
Detected Language | Unknown |
Type | Thesis |
Format | 82 p. |
Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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