Toy Models of Interconnected Networks of Resources and Consumers Manish Nag 1 , Cesar Flores 2 , and Susanne Kortsch 3 1 Department of Sociology, Princeton University 2 School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology 3 Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, Norwegian College of Fishery Science 16 September 2013 Abstract Real networks are not isolated, but are interlinked with and dependent on other real networks. This paper presents a set of tools for studying multiple interconnected networks. Utilizing simulation, a controlled environment can be created in which to un- derstand multinetwork dynamics at small and large scales. The paper uses simulation to look at interconnected networks of resources and consumers. The paper examines when the removal of any single node in the resource network has the largest impact on the consumer network. The paper finds that it’s import to focus on the network layer that connects the the separate networks of resources and consumers. In a controlled setting, the paper finds that increasing network density of the resource-consumer layer has a positive impact on minimizing negative consumer impact. Increasing Shannon’s diversity index on outgoing degree in the resource-consumer layer minimizes worst case negative impact. Increasing Shannon’s diversity on indegree maximizes negative im- pact. The paper also finds that separate networks are more ”attuned” to one another under conditions of higher utilization. There is a wide avenue of future opportuni- ties for further research in this new field of burgeoning interest in the social networks literature. 1 Introduction Real networks are not isolated, but are interlinked with and dependent on other real networks (Radicchi and Arenas, 2013, Buldyrev et al., 2010). Examples of coupled net- works are: the communication and power grid system, various transportation systems 1