COMPETITION AND COMPLEXITY IN SPATIALLY CONNECTED NETWORKS

Much attention has recently been paid to the potential of using analyt ical tools derived from ecology and biology for analyzing competitive (or synergetic) interactions in a complex spatial network. Defining a network as a complex spacetime system, this article investigates the i mplications of spatial interconnections when oscillating or chaotic be havior in a certain node of a network is spread in both space and time . The main focus is on stability/complexity in a network with a view t o varying complexity in terms of the number of functional elements (e. g., nodes, competing/growing centers). Some simulation experiments inv olving simple-dimensional spatial systems are described.