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biondlab.bsky.social
BioND Lab
@biondlab.bsky.social
220 followers 460 following 78 posts
Account of the Biodiversity Theory Research Group at HIFMB (Oldenburg, Germany) @hifmb.bsky.social
All things Biodiversity, Networks & Data
More about us at: biond.org and https://hifmb.de/research/working-groups/biodiversity-theory/
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biondlab.bsky.social
Using a master stability function approach, we show conditions where opinions distribute heterogeneously across the network, resulting in communities where the majority of agents hold the minority opinion. These regions can be seen as local hubs where minority views can thrive and develop.

5/5
The figure shows the opinion propagation on a random geometric graph at three different time steps. You can see the same network at time step 0, 283 and 1000. Each network consists of 50 nodes with a distance threshold value of 0.2. Node colors and radius represent the opinion composition and total abundance per node, respectively, with blue corresponding to opinion X and orange corresponding to opinion Y. The larger the nodes, the higher the abundance. Some nodes are highlighted with a gray shading, indicating where the local majority opinion is switched in favor of the global minority opinion (in this case X attains a higher local abundance than Y). Over time a pattern forms where Y is the majority opinion but the network is divided into two regions. The lower part of the network at time step 1000 is dominated by nodes with opinion Y with very high abundances (indicated by the larger node size), while the upper part is dominated by those with opinion X with low abundances (smaller nodes). The two parts of the network are only connected by a single link between one node with local majority Y and one with local majority X.
August 26, 2025 at 3:38 PM
biondlab.bsky.social
These dynamics lead to bistable conditions where either one of the two opinions can be dominant across all communities. Tipping points can lead to an abrupt switch of the dominant opinion. However, the minority opinion is not doomed totally...

4/5
One parameter bifurcation diagram depending on parameter alpha with a fixed beta and gamma. The y-axis shows the stable state, marked with a X star and has a range from zero to one with increments of 0.2. The x-axis shows alpha, also with a range from zero to one, in increments of 0.25. We see a diagram with a graph that is formed like a flipped S. The area is divided into two different zones. In the white areas the system is monostable and the light orange area marks the parameter range where the system is bi-stable. The two regions are separated by two saddle-node bifurcations. One jump from one stable state into the other is marked by a red dot (for the bifurcation point) and a red arrow (indicating the shift from one stable state into the other). On the bottom of the plot is a beta at 0.55 with two arrows. One arrow points to the right with the text "X inferior" above it. The other arrow points left and is marked with "X superior".
August 26, 2025 at 3:38 PM
biondlab.bsky.social
We build a network model where nodes are communities of interacting agents with two competing opinions, and links represent avenues of migration. Agents can either flip their opinion spontaneously, change their opinion under the influence of others or leave to a more like-minded community.

3/5
Overview of the model mechanisms. The figure shows three different levels and explains what is going on. The first is the individual level that shows the individual agents. Level two shows a community occupied by multiple agents. These communities form a network in level three, where the individual nodes are connected by diffusion and each node is coloured as a pie diagram that shows the percentage of nodes with one of two opinions the agents (individuals) can have: X or Y. Nodes with opinion X are coloured blue, those with opinion Y are coloured in orange. The individual agents live in a community. They populate nodes of a complex network and are coupled by diffusion. Opinion formation on each node is governed by two processes that are further explained in two parts marked with a roman 1 and 2. Roman 1 shows spontaneous flipping of opinions. A node with opinion X can change opinion to Y with a rate of alpha, while the reverse happens with a rate of beta. Roman 2 shows opinion adjustment through the influence of others. If one node in a group of three is the only one with opinion X, it changes to Y with a rate of gamma.
August 26, 2025 at 3:38 PM
biondlab.bsky.social
Meet our group members! Let's continue with the brilliant @jagault.bsky.social:

"Hi, I'm Jordan, a postdoc in the Biodiversity Theory group. I'm an ecologist interested in understanding mutualism across a variety of scales. Specifically, I focus on the nutritional mutualism, ...

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A picture of our group member Jordan Gault, taken in the caste in Copenhagen. You can see a bearded man with glasses standing in a grand, ornately decorated hallway with a checkered marble floor. He has dark brown hair and is smiling. He is wearing a flat cap, blue vest over a shirt, dark trousers, and a dark jacket with one hand in his pocket. Behind him, the hallway is lined with large, colorful tapestries and elegant furniture, leading to a distant area with a red throne-like seat. The lighting is warm and soft, giving the scene a historic and majestic ambiance. And yes, he looks like a mixture of an oldtimey academic and a wizard (in a good way).
April 24, 2025 at 8:06 PM
biondlab.bsky.social
Meet our group members! More postdocs are still to come. Today, let's say hi to @anuragsau.bsky.social:

"Hi, I’m Anurag! I am a Postdoc in the Biodiversity Theory group, with an academic background in Applied Mathematics. My goal is to encapsulate various ecological phenomena ...

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A photo of our group member Anurag Sau. It shows a man with short, dark hair and a trimmed beard who is standing outdoors. He is wearing large, square-shaped glasses with a blue tint and a teal T-shirt. The background is slightly blurred, showing parked cars and green trees on a sunny day.
April 7, 2025 at 2:07 PM
biondlab.bsky.social
Meet our group members! Time to hear about the wonderful @laurabarthm.bsky.social:

"Hi, I’m Laura! I’m a physicist by training and a PostDoc researcher working with physics-informed neural networks to enhance the interpretability of ecological models and improve forecasting.
A picture of our group member Laura Barth. She is wearing a maroon winter jacket, navy blue knitted beanie, and glasses. You can see her dark curly hair sticking out under the beanie. Laura is standing outdoors on a wooden pier by a calm body of water. She has a slight, friendly smile and is looking at the camera. Behind her are forested hills and a cloudy sky, creating a serene atmosphere.
April 2, 2025 at 11:17 AM
biondlab.bsky.social
Meet our group members! Today let's hear from the wonderful @srilenak.bsky.social:

"Hi, I’m Srilena, a HIPP postdoc in the Biodiversity Theory group. I have a background in Applied Mathematics with a research focus on theoretical ecology. My research approach combines mathematical modeling, ...
A picture of our group member Srilena Kundu. The picture shows a woman with shoulder-length black hair, wearing glasses, a black top, and a patterned vest. She smiles brightly at the camera. She is outdoors on a sunny day, standing on a grassy area with trees and a large body of water visible in the background. The sky is clear with scattered white clouds.
March 31, 2025 at 10:35 AM
biondlab.bsky.social
Meet our group members! More postdocs to come. Today is the great Kate P. Maia:

“Hello, I am Kate. I am an ecologist with a background on applying network theory to study mainly terrestrial mutualisms, such as the interactions between plants and pollinators.
A picture of our group member Kate. A young woman is smiling at the camera in a close-up selfie. She is wearing a dark gray knitted beanie and a thick black scarf wrapped around her neck. Her dark brown hair is partially visible, with some strands catching the sunlight. The background is bright, with the sun shining behind her.
March 27, 2025 at 9:34 AM
biondlab.bsky.social
Meet our group members! We are now starting with our postdocs. First up is @olejmueller.bsky.social, our most important link to the humanities:

"Moin and Hello, I am Ole and my role is Staff Scientist in the Biodiversity Theory Group. This means I fill two pairs of shoes:

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A photo of our group member Ole Müller. The picture shows a young man with short, wind blown hair, a beard, and sunglasses steering a sailboat in the open sea. He is wearing a black life vest over a dark gray T-shirt, black pants, and gloves with red accents. He stands confidently at the wheel, with one foot resting on the edge of the cockpit smiling slightly. The boat's deck is white, with ropes neatly arranged near the helm. The sky is partly cloudy, with patches of blue visible, and the sea is calm and has only small waves.
March 25, 2025 at 10:10 AM
biondlab.bsky.social
Meet our group members! We continue with our PhD candidates. Today @ranashj.bsky.social:

"Hi, I'm Rana! I studied physics for both my bachelor's and master's degree. My favorite subjects were statistical physics and quantum mechanics. In my thesis I studied the evolution of social networks ...
A picture of our group member Rana. A woman with long, dark brown hair and light brown skin is posing outdoors with a gentle smile. She is wearing a beige plaid blazer over a black and white patterned blouse. Sunglasses rest on top of her head, and she has gold hoop earrings. Her hands rest on her knee in front of her. The background features a canal with a black railing, pastel-colored buildings with steep roofs, and green trees. The sky is partly cloudy, and the sunlight softly illuminates her face.
February 26, 2025 at 10:41 AM
biondlab.bsky.social
Meet our group members! Starting off with our research assistant and newest member @timmauch.bsky.social:
Hi, I'm Tim, I studied environmental modeling in my master's degree. I'm interested in the intersection of social and complexity sciences - particularly in relation to social media.
Our group member Tim Mauch, a young man with short, wind-blown blond-brown hair smiles at the camera while standing in front of a cityscape during sunset. He wears a black Patagonia t-shirt with a small logo and a graphic of a climber, along with a backpack. A pair of sunglasses hangs from his shirt. The background features a scenic view of a city with red-roofed buildings, white and pastel-colored facades, and a mix of modern and historic architecture. The sky is a mix of soft blue and warm golden hues, with scattered clouds illuminated by the setting sun.
February 18, 2025 at 10:04 AM
biondlab.bsky.social
Luckily, we can start this week where we left off the last last —with another successfully completed PhD! Laura Barth defended her work on phase transitions in robust networks. What a fascinating application of generating functions. Congrats, Laura! We are all incredibly proud of you!
Three photos taken at Laura's PhD defense. The pictures are formatted like polaroid photos. The first shows her and her supervisor in front of the title screen of her presentation with the title "Phase Transitions in Robust Networks - from theoretical insights to an ecological application". The next picture shows her in front of her presentation again, highlighting her take home messages (Optimal network structures vary with attack size: regular networks are optimal for small attacks and star-like networks are ideal for large attacks, Optimal node density exhibits: continuous phase transitions when maximizing nodes in the giant component and discontinuous phase transitions when maximizing links in the giant component). The last picture shows her with her doctor hat that she got put on by a colleague. In Germany it is tradition that the lab members and friends craft the hat themselves including things that relate to their time at the institute and references to her work. Laura's hat has colorful networks on it and a tiny doctor hat in the middle because she asked for a small hat.
December 2, 2024 at 10:13 PM
biondlab.bsky.social
What's the best way to top off a great week? For us, it was celebrating Pedro Carrasco's successful PhD defense last Thursday. His research explored how diffusion maps can aid in computing functional biodiversity from long-term time series. Congratulations, Pedro! We are all incredibly proud of you!
Four photos taken at the PhD defense of Pedro Carrasco. The first one shows him in front of the title page of his defense talk with the title "Computation of functional biodiversity from long-term monitoring time series". Underneath, we see him standing in front of his committee, ready to take on their questions. In the next picture we see a happy, smiling Pedro toasting with his colleagues and glasses of sparkling wine (we only see the hands and glasses of the colleagues). The last picture shows how he gets his doctor hat put on his head. In Germany it is tradition that the friends and colleagues craft the hat and put things on it that relate to the PhD's work and time in the institute as a reminder of things they experienced together. His head features references to diversity in fish and plankton communities as well as some results from his diffusion maps.
November 30, 2024 at 6:48 PM