Nonlinear Physics of Ecosystems

Nonlinear Physics of Ecosystems introduces the concepts and tools of pattern formation theory and demonstrates their utility in ecological research using problems from spatial ecology. Written in language understandable to both physicists and ecologists in most parts, the book reveals the mechanisms of pattern formation and pattern dynamics. It also explores the implications of these mechanisms in important ecological problems.

The first part of the book gives an overview of pattern formation and spatial ecology, showing how these disparate research fields are strongly related to one another. The next part presents an advanced account of pattern formation theory. The final part describes applications of pattern formation theory to ecological problems, including self-organized vegetation patchiness, desertification, and biodiversity in changing environments.

Focusing on the emerging interface between spatial ecology and pattern formation, this book shows how pattern formation methods address a variety of ecological problems using water-limited ecosystems as a case study. Readers with basic knowledge of linear algebra and ordinary differential equations will develop a general understanding of pattern formation theory while more advanced readers who are familiar with partial differential equations will appreciate the descriptions of analytical tools used to study pattern formation and dynamics.

Ehud Meron is a professor of physics in the Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research and the Physics Department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His research interests include nonlinear dynamics and pattern formation theory with applications to fluid dynamics and chemical reactions, modeling complex systems, and spatial ecology with a focus on desertification and biodiversity dynamics. Professor Meron’s recent work has involved collaborating with ecologists in an effort to assimilate the concepts of pattern-formation theory into ecological research.