2012 IGTC Summit: Prof. Steve Krone (Part II)

Spontaneous pattern formation in spatial populations with cyclic dynamics

There are many examples in nature where a system goes through a succession of states that are cyclically related. Examples include ecological succession in a forest and SIRS models of epidemics. When such populations are spatially arranged (as are *all* populations to some degree), these cyclic dynamics can sometimes lead to the spontaneous formation of spatial patterns such as spiral waves. We will explore this phenomenon via interacting particle system models and related differential equations.