Abstract
Although most networks in nature exhibit complex topologies, the origins of such complexity remain unclear. We propose a general evolutionary mechanism based on global stability. This mechanism is incorporated into a model of a growing network of interacting agents in which each new agent’s membership in the network is determined by the agent’s effect on the network’s global stability. It is shown that out of this stability constraint complex topological properties emerge in a self-organized manner, offering an explanation for their observed ubiquity in biological networks.
- Received 29 September 2008
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.108701
©2009 American Physical Society