Species Invasion in a Network Population Model

The introduction and spread of invasive species is increasingly driven by the expansion of human-made transportation routes. We formulate a network model of biotic invasion incorporating logistic growth and dispersal along a network, and present analyses of the model. We introduce small world networks and use them to investigate the role of network properties and long-distance dispersal on spread dynamics. Lastly we present comparisons between the stochastic and deterministic models to illustrate the effects of stochasticity on invasive species spread dynamics.