School of Physics Soft Condensed Matter & Biophysics Seminar: Kim Sneppen, Niels Bohr Institute 

Biology presents an astounding diversity of discrete states or species, that coexist over time-scales much longer than the underlying degrees of freedom. This general pattern calls for a understanding on diversity, and how competition can act as its ``engine". I explore sustainability of diversity, using model systems from biology. Taking the starting point in phage-bacteria ecosystems, I will describe how standard predator-prey equations can be used to quantify how phages may boost bacterial diversity. With inspiration from Lichen growing on rocks, I subsequently introduce a simple model for speciation through self organized spatial barriers. Overall my talk explore ways that existing may species support emerging species by repeated use of the competitors competitor.

References:

J. O. Haerter et al.

Phage and bacteria support mutual diversity in a narrowing staircase of coexistence. The ISME Journal 0:doi:10.103 (2014)

N. Mitarai et al.

Emergence of diversity in a model ecosystem. Phys. Rev. E 86:011929 (2012)