Large-Scale Evolution and Extinction in a Hierarchically Structured Environment
Claus Wilke
Institut fuer Neuroinformatik, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum
http://www.neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/ini/PEOPLE/wilke/top.html
Stephan Altmeyer
Institut fuer Neuroinformatik, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum
http://www.neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/ini/PEOPLE/altmeyer/top.html
Thomas Martinetz
Institut fuer Neuroinformatik, Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum
http://www.neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/ini/TM/TM_group.html
Abstract
A class of models for large-scale evolution and mass extinctions is presented. These models incorporate environmental changes on all scales, from influences on a single species to global effects. This is a step towards a unified picture of mass extinctions, where coevolutionary effects and external abiotic influences can be studied with the same means. The generic features of such models are studied in a neutral version, where all environmental changes are generated at random and without feedback from other parts of the system.