Fisher equation for anisotropic diffusion: simulating South American human dispersals

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2007 Sep;76(3 Pt 1):031923. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.76.031923. Epub 2007 Sep 27.

Abstract

The Fisher equation is commonly used to model population dynamics. This equation allows describing reaction-diffusion processes, considering both population growth and diffusion mechanism. Some results have been reported about modeling human dispersion, always assuming isotropic diffusion. Nevertheless, it is well-known that dispersion depends not only on the characteristics of the habitats where individuals are but also on the properties of the places where they intend to move, then isotropic approaches cannot adequately reproduce the evolution of the wave of advance of populations. Solutions to a Fisher equation are difficult to obtain for complex geometries, moreover, when anisotropy has to be considered and so few studies have been conducted in this direction. With this scope in mind, we present in this paper a solution for a Fisher equation, introducing anisotropy. We apply a finite difference method using the Crank-Nicholson approximation and analyze the results as a function of the characteristic parameters. Finally, this methodology is applied to model South American human dispersal.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anisotropy
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Computer Simulation*
  • Diffusion
  • Emigration and Immigration / history*
  • Environment
  • History, Ancient
  • Humans
  • Models, Biological
  • Population Density
  • Population Dynamics*
  • South America