Paolo Palladino <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> I wonder if anyone knows of any discussion of the following problem
> relating to the modeling of population dynamics: when the model 'crashes',
> how does one distinguish between the mathematical/computational
> peculiarities of the algorithm and the biological peculiarities of the
> population modeled?
>
> Related to this question is also my search for discussions of the
> difference between 'crashes' and 'accidents'. The best I have found so far
> is the discussion in Andrewartha and Birch (1984), but it is not very
> satisfactory for being fundamentally a limited, empirical assessment.
>
> Ultimately, what I have in mind and is the reason for these questions is
> the problem presented by the financial crash of 1987. It was unclear where
> the problem lay, either in instabilities of the financial markets or the in
> the models used to intervene in these markets. One account (Gumbrecht 1994)
> is that the two are inseparable. I wonder whether this insight might be
> extended to the modeling of population dynamics.
>
> Any help would be much appreciated, and thanks to all who answered my
> related request for information on lemmings.
>
> Paolo
>
> Paolo Palladino
> Department of History
> Lancaster University
> Lancaster LA1 4YG
> UNITED KINGDOM
>
> W (01524) 592 793
> H (01524) 847 489
> [log in to unmask]