Oh, What a Tangled Web … Complex Networks in Ecology

Networks are inherent in all complex systems. Patterns of interactions influence system behaviour. Many kinds of large scale patterns emerge from local interactions, including critical collapse. Ecosystems are really interconnected networks of many kinds, so changed conditions in one network can affect the entire ecosystem. One example of this was the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park, which initiated a trophic cascade that transformed the landscape.