Network structure and the biology of populations.
A scientific growth area in recent years has been the study of networks of interacting entities within a population, including species in food webs, human or other animals transmitting infection, proteins in cells, cells in organisms (e.g. neuronal networks), the internet and the World Wide Web. Here, I review some of the differing network patterns that arise in theory and in practice, with an emphasis on their dynamical implications, particularly for resistance to deliberate or accidental disturbance. I offer caveats and opinionated comment about some excesses of enthusiasm and suggest some areas where these network ideas might find further application.
May
Robert M
RM
Zoology Department, South Parks Road, Oxford University, Oxford, UK, OX1 3PS. robert.may@zoo.ox.ac.uk
D000818:Animals; D001695:Biology; D019058:Community Networks; D003198:Computer Simulation; D017753:Ecosystem; D020387:Food Chain; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011153:Population