Anomalously Slow Attrition Times for Asymmetric Populations with Internal Group Dynamics

作者：Zhenyuan Zhao, Juan Camilo Bohorquez, A. R. Dixon, Neil F. Johnson · 发表于：Physical Review Letters · 年份：2009 · DOI：10.1103/physrevlett.103.148701 · 被引用次数：16 · 研究领域：Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation、Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence、Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology Models

The many-body dynamics exhibited by living objects include group formation within a population and the nonequilibrium process of attrition between two opposing populations due to competition or conflict. We show analytically and numerically that the combination of these two dynamical processes generates an attrition duration T whose nonlinear dependence on population asymmetry x is in stark contrast to standard mass-action theories. A minority population experiences a longer survival time than two equally balanced populations, irrespective of whether or not the majority population adopts such an internal grouping. Adding a third population with predefined group sizes allows T(x) to be tailored. Our findings compare favorably to real-world observations.