Most theoretical tools have traditionally been devised to tackle problems in typical 2D landscape or mean-field setting.  However, many important ecosystems on Earth are situated along dendritic structures, e.g., river networks, which call for better understanding of how life operates in such a topology.  Here, I address some developments on how some such theoretical tools are made applicable to dendritic structures, and questions they may be able to tackle.  In particular, these include a neutral metacommunity model and a game-theoric approach to dispersal in dendritic networks.

Results/Conclusions

The neutral metacommunity model has been successfully implemented to capture large-scale spatial biodiversity patterns of freshwater fish in the Mississippi-Missouri river system; this type of model lends itself well to other questions such as the effects of altered connectivity of dendritic network.  The game-theoric approach to dispersal provides some insights on how dispersal interplays with spatial heterogeneity and invasion vulnerability in dendritic structures.