Creepy crawly spreading-a network-based model for Tradescantia
by
Mary Myerscough
School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney, NSW 2006
Coauthors: Alexandra Hogan

Tradescantia flumeninsis is an invasive weed prevalent both in New Zealand and in Australia. It spreads by extending stems to colonise new areas, resulting in dense mats of weed which smother any seedlings that germinate beneath. We present a model for the spread of Tradescantia which is inspired by models for the growth of other types of network such as fungal hyphae and networks of blood vessels. We use travelling wave analysis to predict the behaviour of the model and also present some numerical results.

Date received: November 30, 2009