  We study the interplay between diversity and noise in a 3D network of
FitzHugh-Nagumo elements, with topology and dimensions chosen to model a
pancreatic beta-cell cluster, as an example of an excitable cell network. Our
results show that diversity and noise are not equivalent sources of disorder
but have different effects on network dynamics. Their synchronization
mechanisms may act independently of one another or synergistically, depending
on the mean value of the diversity distribution compared to the intrinsic
oscillatory range of the network elements.
