2026/03/17 by Bernd von Mallinckrodt · 1 voice
Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Ecosystem dynamics and resilience #Complex Systems and Dynamics #Sustainability and Ecological Systems Analysis
paper · doi:10.5281/zenodo.19065795
openalex publication_date 2026/03/17 · openalex created_date 2026/03/18 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
This paper introduces the Compression–Resonanz-Tension Index (CRTI), a unified framework for analyzing stability and collapse in complex adaptive systems. We propose that systemic failure is not primarily driven by randomness or external shocks, but by structural over-compression that suppresses adaptive capacity. The framework combines a minimal dynamical system with a geometric phase space interpretation, where basin structure and separatrix distance determine system trajectories and collapse pathways. We derive a two-dimensional nonlinear system governing adaptive capacity (R) and structural compression (Φ), and define system viability as T = R / Φ. The analysis reveals bistable regimes, critical thresholds, and basin-dependent outcomes. In addition, we present a proxy-based empirical operationalization, enabling the estimation of CRTI dynamics from real-world time series data. This provides a testable pathway toward early-warning diagnostics of systemic instability across domains such as ecology, economics, and organizational systems. The CRTI framework offers a minimal, generalizable, and falsifiable approach to understanding collapse dynamics in complex systems. complex systemsnonlinear dynamicsphase spacebistabilitytipping pointssystem collapseresilience theoryadaptive capacitystructural compressionearly warning signalsLotka-Volterracomplexity sciencedynamical systems