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Chaos and insect ecology

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Recent advances in applied mathematical analysis have uncovered a fascinating and unexpected dynamical richness that underlies behavior of even the simplest non-linear mathematical models. Due to the complexity of solutions to these non-linear equations, a new mathematical term, chaos, has been coined to describe the resulting dynamics. This term captures the notion that in spite of the fact that these equations are purely deterministic, the resulting time dynamics are for all practical purposes indistinguishable from a purely random or stochastic process. A unique aspect to this new revolution in the esoteric arena of non-linear mathematics is the fact that it has captured the imagination of the public at large, and is even the subject of a New York Times leading best seller (James Gleik, Chaos: Making a New Science). The popular interest in chaos is at least in part due to the fact that solution sets are often represented as fractals, resulting in complex and strangely beautiful geometric patterns (fractals are, themselves, the subject of numerous popular books). Although the subject of chaos has its lighter side, it has also formed the basis of serious science.

Citation

Logan, Jesse A.; Hain, Fred P. 1990. Chaos and insect ecology. In: Does Chaos Exist in Ecological Systems?: 1-91
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/28084