From computer operating systems to biodiversity: co-emergence of ecological and evolutionary patterns

Comparisons between biodiversity and other complex systems can facilitate cross-disciplinary exchange of theories and the identification of key system processes and constraints. For example, due to qualitative structural and functional analogies to biological systems, coupled with good data accessibility, computer operating systems offer opportunities for comparison with biodiversity. However, it remains largely untested if the two systems also share quantitative patterns. Here, we employ analogies between GNU/Linux operating systems (distros) and biological species, and look for a number of well-established ecological and evolutionary patterns in the Linux universe. We demonstrate that patterns of the Linux universe match the macroecological patterns: Linux distro commonness and rarity (popularity of a distro) follow a lognormal distribution, power law mean-variance scaling of temporal fluctuation, and there is a significant relationship between niche breadth (number of software packages) and commonness. The diversity in the Linux universe also follows general macroevolutionary patterns: The number of phylogenetic lineages increases linearly through time, with clear per-species diversification and extinction slowdowns, something that is unobservable in biology. Moreover, the composition of functional traits (software packages) exhibits significant phylogenetic signal. Our study provides foundations for using Linux as a model system for eco-evolutionary studies, as well as insights into patterns and dynamics of computer operating systems, which may be used to inform their future development and maintenance. The co-emergence of patterns across systems suggests that some patterns might be produced by system-level properties, independently of system identity, which offers an empirical argument for non-biological explanations of fundamental biodiversity patterns.