The Computation of the Disguised Toric Locus of Reaction Networks

Abstract

Mathematical models of reaction networks can exhibit very complex dynamics, including multistability, oscillations, and chaotic dynamics. On the other hand, under some additional assumptions on the network or on parameter values, these models may actually be toric dynamical systems, which have remarkably stable dynamics. The concept of disguised toric dynamical system" was introduced in order to describe the phenomenon where a reaction network generates toric dynamics without actually being toric; such systems enjoy all the stability properties of toric dynamical systems but with much fewer restrictions on the networks and parameter values. The \emph{disguised toric locus} is the set of parameter values for which the corresponding dynamical system is a disguised toric system. Here we focus on providing a generic and efficient method for computing the dimension of the disguised toric locus of reaction networks. Additionally, we illustrate our approach by applying it to some specific models of biological interaction networks, including Brusselator-type networks, Thomas-type networks, and circadian clock networks.