Pattern formation in coral reefs

• Grant number: 20/04751-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2020
• End date: November 30, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics
• Principal Investigator: Nathan Jacob Berkovits
• Grantee: Vivian de Araujo Dornelas Nunes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Teórica (IFT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/01343-7 - ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research: a regional center for theoretical physics, AP.ESP

Abstract

The organization of biological populations that diffuse, interact, and compete for resources is an important question in Ecology. In particular, it is relevant to understand how different patterns can emerge from these interactions in different environments. It is well known that coral reefs of the same species can form different patterns, depending on the environmental conditions such as nutrient flux and light and water availability. In this project, we will develop a mathematical framework to investigate the emergence of the large diversity of shapes observed in coral colonies. Our model will incorporate several ecological, environmental and biophysical processes, such as population density-dependent interactions, concepts from porous-media flows, and nonlinear dynamics. From a methodological point of view, the project will combine analytical and numerical methods both to investigate all the possible outcomes of the model and analyze experimental data. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DOS SANTOS, M. A. F.; DORNELAS, V; COLOMBO, E. H.; ANTENEODO, C.. Critical patch size reduction by heterogeneous diffusion. Physical Review E, v. 102, n. 4, OCT 29 2020. (20/04751-4, 16/01343-7)

DOS SANTOS, M. A. F.; DORNELAS, V; COLOMBO, E. H.; ANTENEODO, C.. Critical patch size reduction by heterogeneous diffusion. PHYSICAL REVIEW E, v. 102, n. 4, p. 7-pg., 2020-10-29. (16/01343-7, 20/04751-4)