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Of Mice and Men: What Rodent Populations Can Teach Us about Complex Spatial Dynamics

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  • H Couclelis

    (Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106, USA)

Abstract

Models of complex systems need not be themselves complex, let alone complicated. To illustrate this important point, a very simple cellular automaton model of rodent population dynamics is used to generate a wide variety of different spatiotemporal structures corresponding to different forms of equilibrium, cyclical, quasi-cyclical, and chaotic system behavior. The issue of complexity as it pertains to a number of different contemporary scientific fields is then discussed, and in particular its implications for prediction. The discussion ends with some general reflexions about modeling in human geography.

Suggested Citation

  • H Couclelis, 1988. "Of Mice and Men: What Rodent Populations Can Teach Us about Complex Spatial Dynamics," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 20(1), pages 99-109, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:20:y:1988:i:1:p:99-109
    DOI: 10.1068/a200099
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    Cited by:

    1. Jose I. Barredo & Carlo Lavalle & Valentina Sagris & Guy Engelen, 2005. "Representing future urban and regional scenarios for flood hazard mitigation," ERSA conference papers ersa05p147, European Regional Science Association.
    2. Charles Perrings & David Stern, 2000. "Modelling Loss of Resilience in Agroecosystems: Rangelands in Botswana," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 16(2), pages 185-210, June.
    3. Liu, Xiaoping & Li, Xia & Shi, Xun & Wu, Shaokun & Liu, Tao, 2008. "Simulating complex urban development using kernel-based non-linear cellular automata," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 211(1), pages 169-181.

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