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Unveiling tipping mechanisms: About transients and warning signals in Ecology and Biomedicine

 
 

Speaker: Josep Sardanyés (Centre de Recerca Matemàtica, Barcelona)
Date: 04/04/2024
Time: 10:00

Complex systems unfold nonlinear interactions and can suffer regime shifts which are of paramount importance since they can involve the emergence and persistence of a disease or the extinction of a species within an ecosystem. Such regime shifts can be achieved by different mechanisms and their understanding is crucial to potentially anticipate them and have information about the time scales of such shifts. Dynamical systems theory and computational research allows the study of such mechanisms in a general way or for specific complex systems such as ecosystems or viral infections. In this seminar, I will discuss different mechanisms causing regime shifts, paying special attention to critical transitions given by tipping points. I will discuss important dynamical properties arising close to critical transitions such as transients and the so-called warning signals. These signals provide a powerful way to detect that a given system is approaching a critical transition without the necessity to have a detailed knowledge of the underlying system dynamics. To foster discussion and possible new collaborations, I will provide examples of these topics identified in experimental and natural systems.

 

If you would like to attend the seminar, please register here