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Published on: November 2, 2012
New computer architectures as tools for ecological thought
1Ferdinando Villa is at the Institute of Ecology, University of Parma, Viale delle Scienze, 43100 Parma, Italy.
Abstract:
Recent achievements of computer science provide unrivaled power for the advancement of ecology. This power is not merely computational: parallel computers, having hierarchical organization as their architectural principle, also provide metaphors for understanding complex systems. In this sense they might play for a science of ecological complexity a role like equilibrium-based metaphors had in the development of dynamic systems ecology. Parallel computers provide this opportunity through an informational view of ecological reality and multilevel modelling paradigms. Spatial and individual-oriented models allow application and full understanding of the new metaphors in the ecological context.
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