Networks and webs in ecosystems and financial systems

This paper briefly outlines our growing understanding of the relationships between the network structure of ecological networks--both in mathematical models and in the real world--and their consequent dynamical properties. These are interesting, inter alia, because they affect the system's ability to withstand disturbance, whether natural or human-created. The paper also sketches recent interest in the potential relevance of this work to 'systemic risk' and regulatory measures in banking systems, emphasizing the similarities and differences. I conclude with some cautions against drawing excessively general conclusions from any such models.