Quote:
Originally posted by Shape Shifter
Please discuss
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The Lotka-Volterra model describes interactions between two species in an ecosystem, a predator and a prey. Since we are considering two species, the model will involve two equations, one which describes how the prey population changes and the second which describes how the predator population changes.
If we let R(t) and F(t) represent the number of hens and cougars, respectively, that are alive at time t, then the Lotka-Volterra model is:
dR/dt = a*R - b*R*F
dF/dt = e*b*R*F - c*F
where the parameters are defined by:
-a is the natural growth rate of hens in the absence of predation,
-c is the natural death rate of cougars in the absence of food,
-b is the death rate per encounter of hens due to predation,
-e is the efficiency of turning predated hens into cougars.
The model is much more complex with two predators.
FYI, this is the exact shit that made me raise the white flag in second semester college math, after living a high school life as one of the top math team geeks in the Midwest. Makes me cry.
MM
