DIEP seminar by Vishwesha Guttal
The role of finite size stochasticity in ecological systems: from animal groups to populations to evolution
Biological systems are fundamentally shaped by stochasticity. In my talk, I will demonstrate the key role of intrinsic noise, which are fluctuations arising from inherent probabilistic nature of biological interactions and are amplified in finite systems. First, I will demonstrate, using both theory and empirical data, how noise can shape order in small to intermediate-sized fish schools. Next, I will show how noise can inform us about the underlying ecological dynamics. Finally, I will show theoretically how the stochasticity of finite populations can exhibit counter-intuitive dynamics on both ecological and evolutionary time scales.
If you wish to attend this seminar online, please send an email to s.banerjee2@uva.nl to receive the zoom-link.