Propagation of Cascades in Complex Networks: From Supply Chains to Food Webs

Abstract

A general theory of top-down cascades in complex networks is described which explains two similar types of perturbation amplifications in the complex networks of business supply chains (the `bullwhip effect') and ecological food webs (trophic cascades). The dependence of the strength of the effects on the interaction strength and covariance in the dynamics as well as the graph structure allows both explanation and prediction of widely recognized effects in each type of system.