Downloads & Free Reading Options - Results

We develop a set of equations to describe the population dynamics of many interacting species in food webs. Predator-prey interactions are non-linear, and are based on ratio-dependent functional responses. The equations account for competition for resources between members of the same species, and between members of different species. Predators divide their total hunting/foraging effort between the available prey species according to an evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS). The ESS foraging behaviour does not correspond to the predictions of optimal foraging theory. We use the population dynamics equations in simulations of the Webworld model of evolving ecosystems. New species are added to an existing food web due to speciation events, whilst species become extinct due to coevolution and competition. We study the dynamics of species-diversity in Webworld on a macro-evolutionary timescale. Coevolutionary interactions are strong enough to cause continuous overturn of species, in contrast to our previous Webworld simulations with simpler population dynamics. Although there are significant fluctuations in species diversity because of speciation and extinction, very large scale extinction avalanches appear to be absent from the dynamics, and we find no evidence for self-organised criticality.

The dynamics of an association of interactive biological species is studied theoretically. We explore a mean field approximation to describe the temporal evolution of an ecological system with the basic prey-predator interspecies relation, as well as an approximation to introduce time correlations in the dynamics. We start by discussing the solution of the Volterra-Lotka model in a mean field approximation based in an analogy with the Weiss solution to the Ising model for ferromagnetic materials. In order to explore the effects of long-range time correlations, we describe the time evolution of the system within a kind of Bragg-Williams approximation. This approach allows us to evaluate a characteristic life-time of the ecosystem. This quantity could be very useful to discuss the time evolution of the system under a wide diversity of environmental conditions of the ecosystem which is not usually considered. We discuss the general trends of the temporal evolution of the association with some data from real ecosystems.

We prove the existence of infinitely many periodic solutions and complicated dynamics, due to the presence of a topological horseshoe, for the classical Volterra predator--prey model with a periodic harvesting. The proof relies on some recent results about chaotic planar maps combined with the study of geometric features which are typical of linked twist maps.

We prove the existence of infinitely many periodic solutions and complicated dynamics, due to the presence of a topological horseshoe, for the classical Volterra predator--prey model with a periodic harvesting. The proof relies on some recent results about chaotic planar maps combined with the study of geometric features which are typical of linked twist maps.

The present paper deals with a prey-predator model with prey refuge proportion to both species and independent harvesting of each species. Our study shows that using refuge as control, it can break the limit circle of the system and reach the required state of equilibrium level. It is established the optimal harvesting policy. The boundedness, feasibility of interior equilibria, bionomic equilibrium have been determined. The main observation is that coefficient of refuge plays an important role in regulating the dynamics of the present system. Moreover the variation of the coefficient of refuge change the system from stable to unstable and vice-versa. Some numerical illustration are given in order to support of our analytical and theoretical findings.

To understand the spreading and interaction of prey and predator, in this paper we study the dynamics of the diffusive Lotka-Volterra type prey-predator model with different free boundaries. These two free boundaries, which may intersect each other as time evolves, are used to describe the spreading of prey and predator. We investigate the existence and uniqueness, regularity and uniform estimates, and long time behaviors of global solution. Some sufficient conditions for spreading and vanishing are established. When spreading occurs, we provide the more accurate limits of $(u,v)$ as $t\to\infty$, and give some estimates of asymptotic spreading speeds of $u,v$ and asymptotic speeds of $g,h$. Some realistic and significant spreading phenomena are found.

The broad application range of the predator-prey modelling enabled us to apply it to represent the dynamics of the work-employment system. For the adopted period, we conclude that this dynamics is chaotic in the beginning of the time series and tends to less perturbed states, as time goes by, due to public policies and hidden intrinsic system features. Basic Lotka-Volterra approach was revised and adapted to the reality of the study. The final aim is to provide managers with generalized theoretical elements that allow to a more accurate understanding of the behavior of the work-employment system.

The broad application range of the predator-prey modelling enabled us to apply it to represent the dynamics of the work-employment system. For the adopted period, we conclude that this dynamics is chaotic in the beginning of the time series and tends to less perturbed states, as time goes by, due to public policies and hidden intrinsic system features. Basic Lotka-Volterra approach was revised and adapted to the reality of the study. The final aim is to provide managers with generalized theoretical elements that allow to a more accurate understanding of the behavior of the work-employment system.

This article is from PLoS ONE , volume 9 . Abstract Refugia can affect predator-prey dynamics via movements between refuge and non-refuge areas. We examine the influence of a refuge on population dynamics in a large mammal predator-prey system. Wolves (Canis lupus) have recolonized much of their former range in North America, and as a result, ungulate prey have exploited refugia to reduce predation risk with unknown impacts on wolf-prey dynamics. We examined the influence of a refuge on elk (Cervus elaphus) and wolf population dynamics in Banff National Park. Elk occupy the Banff townsite with little predation, whereas elk in the adjoining Bow Valley experience higher wolf predation. The Banff refuge may influence Bow Valley predator-prey dynamics through source-sink movements. To test this hypothesis, we used 26 years of wolf and elk population counts and the Delayed Rejection Adaptive Metropolis Markov chain Monte Carlo method to fit five predator-prey models: 1) with no source-sink movements, 2) with elk density-dependent dispersal from the refuge to the non-refuge, 3) with elk predation risk avoidance movements from the non-refuge to the refuge, 4) with differential movement rates between refuge and non-refuge, and 5) with short-term, source-sink wolf movements. Model 1 provided the best fit of the data, as measured by Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). In the top model, Banff and Bow Valley elk had median growth rates of 0.08 and 0.03 (95% credibility intervals [CIs]: 0.027–0.186 and 0.001–0.143), respectively, Banff had a median carrying capacity of 630 elk (95% CI: 471.9–2676.9), Bow Valley elk had a median wolf encounter rate of 0.02 (95% CI: 0.013–0.030), and wolves had a median death rate of 0.23 (95% CI: 0.146–0.335) and a median conversion efficiency of 0.07 (95% CI: 0.031–0.124). We found little evidence for potential source-sink movements influencing the predator-prey dynamics of this system. This result suggests that the refuge was isolated from the non-refuge.

We consider the spreading dynamics of two nested invasion clusters on an infinite tree. This model was defined as the chase-escape model by Kordzakhia and it admits a limit process, the birth-and-assassination process, previously introduced by Aldous and Krebs. On both models, we prove an asymptotic equivalent of the extinction probability near criticality. In the subcritical regime, we give a tail bound on the total progeny of the preys before extinction.

A general diffusive predator-prey model is investigated in this paper. We prove the global attractivity of constant equilibria when the conversion rate is small, and the non-existence of non-constant positive steady states when the conversion rate is large. The results are applied to several predator-prey models and give some ranges of parameters where complex pattern formation cannot occur.

Kalyan Manna

A simple dynamical cascade model for the evolution of free energy is considered in the context of gyrokinetic formalism. It is noted that the dynamics of free energy, that characterize plasma micro-turbulence in magnetic fusion devices, exhibit a clear predator prey character. Various key features of predatory prey dynamics such as the time delay between turbulence and large scale flow structures, or the intermittency of the dynamics are identifed in the quasi-steady state phase of the nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations. A novel prediction on the ratio of turbulence amplitudes in different parts of the wave-number domain that follows from this simple predator prey model is compared to a set of nonlinear simulation results and is observed to hold quite well in a large range of physical parameters. Detailed validation of the predator prey hypothesis using nonlinear gyrokinetics provides a very important input for the effort to apprehend plasma microturbulence, since the predator prey idea can be used as a very effective intuitive tool for understanding.

We carry out mathematical analyses, {\em \`{a} la} Helmholtz's and Boltzmann's 1884 studies of monocyclic Newtonian dynamics, for the Lotka-Volterra (LV) equation exhibiting predator-prey oscillations. In doing so a novel "thermodynamic theory" of ecology is introduced. An important feature, absent in the classical mechanics, of ecological systems is a natural stochastic population dynamic formulation of which the deterministic equation (e.g., the LV equation studied) is the infinite population limit. Invariant density for the stochastic dynamics plays a central role in the deterministic LV dynamics. We show how the conservation law along a single trajectory extends to incorporate both variations in a model parameter $\alpha$ and in initial conditions: Helmholtz's theorem establishes a broadly valid conservation law in a class of ecological dynamics. We analyze the relationships among mean ecological activeness $\theta$, quantities characterizing dynamic ranges of populations $\mathcal{A}$ and $\alpha$, and the ecological force $F_{\alpha}$. The analyses identify an entire orbit as a stationary ecology, and establish the notion of "equation of ecological states". Studies of the stochastic dynamics with finite populations show the LV equation as the robust, fast cyclic underlying behavior. The mathematical narrative provides a novel way of capturing long-term dynamical behaviors with an emergent {\em conservative ecology}.

In this paper, we consider a stochastic ratio-dependent predator-prey model. We firstly prove the existence, uniqueness and positivity of the solutions. Then, the boundedness of moments of population are studied. Finally, we show the upper-growth rates and exponential death rates of population under some conditions.

Transposable elements, or transposons, are DNA sequences that can jump from site to site in the genome during the life cycle of a cell, usually encoding the very enzymes which perform their excision. However, some transposons are parasitic, relying on the enzymes produced by the regular transposons. In this case, we show that a stochastic model, which takes into account the small copy numbers of the transposons in a cell, predicts noise-induced predator-prey oscillations with a characteristic time scale that is much longer than the cell replication time, indicating that the state of the predator-prey oscillator is stored in the genome and transmitted to successive generations. Our work demonstrates the important role of number fluctuations in the expression of mobile genetic elements, and shows explicitly how ecological concepts can be applied to the dynamics and fluctuations of living genomes.

We simulate an individual-based model that represents both the phenotype and genome of digital organisms with predator-prey interactions. We show how open-ended growth of complexity arises from the invariance of genetic evolution operators with respect to changes in the complexity, and that the dynamics which emerges is controlled by a non-equilibrium critical point. The mechanism is analogous to the development of the cascade in fluid turbulence.

This paper investigates the dynamics of biomass in a marine ecosystem. A stochastic process is defined in which organisms undergo jumps in body size as they catch and eat smaller organisms. Using a systematic expansion of the master equation, we derive a deterministic equation for the macroscopic dynamics, which we call the deterministic jump-growth equation, and a linear Fokker-Planck equation for the stochastic fluctuations. The McKendrick--von Foerster equation, used in previous studies, is shown to be a first-order approximation, appropriate in equilibrium systems where predators are much larger than their prey. The model has a power-law steady state consistent with the approximate constancy of mass density in logarithmic intervals of body mass often observed in marine ecosystems. The behaviours of the stochastic process, the deterministic jump-growth equation and the McKendrick--von Foerster equation are compared using numerical methods. The numerical analysis shows two classes of attractors: steady states and travelling waves.

A discrete chemotactic predator-prey model is proposed in which the prey secrets a diffusing chemical which is sensed by the predator and vice versa. Two dynamical states corresponding to catching and escaping are identified and it is shown that steady hunting is unstable. For the escape process, the predator-prey distance is diffusive for short times but exhibits a transient subdiffusive behavior which scales as a power law $t^{1/3}$ with time $t$ and ultimately crosses over to diffusion again. This allows to classify the motility and dynamics of various predatory bacteria and phagocytes. In particular, there is a distinct region in the parameter space where they prove to be infallible predators.

Cannibalism, which is the act of killing and at least partial consumption of conspecifics, is ubiquitous in nature. Mathematical models have considered cannibalism in the predator primarily, and show that predator cannibalism in two species ODE models provides a strong stabilizing effect. There is strong ecological evidence that cannibalism exists among prey as well, yet this phenomenon has been much less investigated. In the current manuscript, we investigate both the ODE and spatially explicit forms of a Holling-Tanner model, with ratio dependent functional response. We show that cannibalism in the predator provides a stabilizing influence as expected. However, when cannibalism in the prey is considered, we show that it cannot stabilise the unstable interior equilibrium in the ODE case, but can destabilise the stable interior equilibrium. In the spatially explicit case, we show that in certain parameter regime, prey cannibalism can lead to pattern forming Turing dynamics, which is an impossibility without it. Lastly we consider a stochastic prey cannibalism rate, and find that it can alter both spatial patterns, as well as limit cycle dynamics.

In this paper, we focus on a spatial Holling-type IV predator-prey model which contains some important factors, such as diffusion, noise (random fluctuations) and external periodic forcing. By a brief stability and bifurcation analysis, we arrive at the Hopf and Turing bifurcation surface and derive the symbolic conditions for Hopf and Turing bifurcation in the spatial domain. Based on the stability and bifurcation analysis, we obtain spiral pattern formation via numerical simulation. Additionally, we study the model with colored noise and external periodic forcing. From the numerical results, we know that noise or external periodic forcing can induce instability and enhance the oscillation of the species, and resonant response. Our results show that modeling by reaction-diffusion equations is an appropriate tool for investigating fundamental mechanisms of complex spatiotemporal dynamics.

Various field and laboratory experiments show that prey refuge plays a significant role in the stability of prey-predator dynamics. On the other hand, theoretical studies show that delayed system exhibits a much more realistic dynamics than its non-delayed counterpart. In this paper, we study a multi-delayed prey-predator model with prey refuge. We consider modified Holling Type II response function that incorporates the effect of prey refuge and then introduce two discrete delays in the model system. A negative feedback delay is considered in the logistic prey growth rate to represent density dependent feedback mechanism and a positive feedback delay is considered to represent the gestation time of the predator. Our study reveals that the system exhibits different dynamical behaviors, viz., stable coexistence, periodic coexistence or chaos depending on the values of the delay parameters and degree of prey refuge. The interplay between two delays for a fixed value of prey refuge has also been determined. It is noticed that these delays work in a complementary fashion. In addition, using the normal form theory and center manifold argument, we derive the explicit formulae for determining the direction of the bifurcation, the stability and other properties of the bifurcating periodic solutions.

 Prey predator population dynamics has been frequently studied in literature to model many robust but contrastive biological populations. In this paper, based on prey predator population dynamics, a nonlinear model to predict the behavior of virus treatment of cancer cells is suggested. Based on the goals of virus curing and consideration of some practical issues, the suggested model has the capability to cover these following cases: both cancer cells and viruses vanish, one is eliminated by the other, or both survive in a robust periodically convergent manner or both become divergent. Relative to the values of some parameters such as the virus intrinsic growth rate, carrying capacity, capturing rate, half saturation constant, maximal tumor cells growth rate, and tumor cells mortality rate, and the initial population values of both tumor cells and viruses, some examples are solved. These examples exhibit logical and feasible behavior for the system. They show under which conditions the virus therapy fails or succeeds; as well when the bifurcation occurs or when the trajectories converge to a limit cycle.

Prey predator population dynamics has been frequently studied in literature to model many robust but contrastive biological populations. In this paper, based on prey predator population dynamics, a nonlinear model to predict the behavior of virus treatment of cancer cells is suggested. Based on the goals of virus curing and consideration of some practical issues, the suggested model has the capability to cover these following cases: both cancer cells and viruses vanish, one is eliminated by the other, or both survive in a robust periodically convergent manner or both become divergent. Relative to the values of some parameters such as the virus intrinsic growth rate, carrying capacity, capturing rate, half saturation constant, maximal tumor cells growth rate, and tumor cells mortality rate, and the initial population values of both tumor cells and viruses, some examples are solved. These examples exhibit logical and feasible behavior for the system. They show under which conditions the virus therapy fails or succeeds; as well when the bifurcation occurs or when the trajectories converge to a limit cycle.