May–Wigner stability theorem

E548444

The May–Wigner stability theorem is a result in theoretical ecology and random matrix theory showing that large, complex systems with many random interactions are generically unstable beyond a critical level of complexity.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
May–Wigner stability theorem canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf mathematical theorem ⓘ
result in random matrix theory ⓘ
result in theoretical ecology ⓘ
analyzes real parts of eigenvalues of the community matrix ⓘ
appliesTo ecological communities ⓘ
large dynamical systems ⓘ
assumes entries of the interaction matrix are independent random variables with zero mean ⓘ
large system size ⓘ
linearization around an equilibrium ⓘ
random interactions between components ⓘ
concerns local stability of equilibria ⓘ
random interaction matrices ⓘ
stability of large complex systems ⓘ
field complex systems theory ⓘ
random matrix theory ⓘ
theoretical ecology ⓘ
givesCondition S·C·σ < 1 for all eigenvalues to have negative real part in a common variant ⓘ
S·C·σ² < 1 for local stability in May’s original formulation ⓘ
hasConsequence challenges the idea that complexity always promotes stability ⓘ
motivated research on structured interaction networks ⓘ
motivated study of non‑random interaction patterns in ecology ⓘ
hasParameter connectance C ⓘ
number of species S ⓘ
standard deviation of interaction strengths σ ⓘ
implies increasing complexity tends to reduce stability ⓘ
influencedField ecological network theory ⓘ
engineering of complex networks ⓘ
systems biology ⓘ
inspiredBy Wigner’s semicircle law ⓘ
Wigner’s work on random matrices in nuclear physics ⓘ
introducedBy Robert M. May ⓘ
namedAfter Eugene Wigner ⓘ
Robert May ⓘ
originalContext stability and complexity in model ecosystems ⓘ
predicts critical complexity threshold for stability ⓘ
loss of stability when complexity exceeds a critical value ⓘ
publicationYear 1972 ⓘ
publishedIn Nature ⓘ
relates stability to connectance ⓘ
stability to interaction strength ⓘ
stability to system size ⓘ
stabilityCriterion all eigenvalues must have negative real parts for local stability ⓘ
states large complex systems with sufficiently strong random interactions are generically unstable ⓘ
typeOf linear stability result ⓘ
usesConcept Jacobian matrix ⓘ
circular law ⓘ
community matrix ⓘ
eigenvalue spectrum ⓘ
random matrices with independent entries ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Stability and Complexity in Model Ecosystems → relatedConcept → May–Wigner stability theorem ⓘ