Phys. Rev. E 71, 052902 (2005) [4 pages]Periodicity of mass extinctions without an extraterrestrial causeReceived 28 November 2004; published 20 May 2005 We study a lattice model of a multispecies prey-predator system. Numerical results show that for a small mutation rate the model develops irregular long-period oscillatory behavior with sizeable changes in a number of species. The periodicity of extinctions on Earth was suggested by Raup and Sepkoski Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 81 801 (1984)], but thus far is lacking a satisfactory explanation. Our model indicates that this might be a natural consequence of the ecosystem dynamics and not the result of any extraterrestrial cause. © 2005 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevE.71.052902
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevE.71.052902
PACS:
87.23.−n
|
|
About | Terms and Conditions | Subscriptions | Search | Help
Use of the American Physical Society websites and journals implies that the user has read and agrees to our Terms and Conditions and any applicable Subscription Agreement. Physical Review®, Physical Review Letters®, Reviews of Modern Physics®, and Physical Review Special Topics® are trademarks of the American Physical Society.