Ecosystem models are mathematical representations of ecosystems used to study and predict their behavior. They simplify the ecosystem by focusing on specific parts, such as certain species or groups. The model includes predator-prey relationships and mathematical functions describing their relationships. The complexity of an ecosystem makes it difficult to observe, so ecologists use statistics and observation to make educated guesses. The predator-prey model, created in the mid-1920s by Lotka and Volterra, is a classic example of an ecosystem model.
An ecosystem model is a representation of an ecosystem shown in mathematical form. Such models are used in theoretical ecology to help ecologists study existing ecosystems and predict what might happen under certain conditions. An ecosystem is incredibly complex, so an ecosystem model generally needs to simplify the system by focusing only on specific parts.
Ecosystems are biological environments. They include all living creatures in a particular area, as well as the physical characteristics of that area that could affect or be used by the organisms it contains. These could be things like air, water, or amounts of sunlight. The model must also take into account the size of the studied environment as this can have an effect on the organisms contained therein.
To create a working mathematical model, an ecologist must simplify the ecosystem he is trying to study. This can be done by focusing on a small number of species or groups that share certain traits. These traits could be behavioral, biochemical, or physical.
Once the ecologist has isolated the organisms of interest, he creates a food chain for them. A food chain is a representation of predator-prey relationships. For example, if the animal of interest is the coyote, the food chain might show that the coyote eats rabbits, which eat ground-level vegetation. Coyotes, rabbits, and vegetation will all become elements of the ecosystem model.
The elements in the ecosystem model are then linked together using mathematical functions describing their relationships. Also in this case the complexity of an ecosystem represents a problem for the ecologist. It’s difficult to observe what actual effect eating a single rabbit will have on the coyote population, so ecologists use statistics, observation, and other methods to arrive at an educated guess. Mathematical functions can be adjusted as real events in the ecosystem prove or disprove the accuracy of the ecosystem model.
A classic ecosystem model studied by ecology students is the predator-prey model created in the mid-1920s. It was created independently by two scientists within a year: US mathematician, chemist and statistician Alfred J Lotka and Italian mathematician and physicist Vito Volterra. Their model uses a pair of differential equations to represent predators and prey. Although originally used to describe fluctuations in shark and fish populations in the Adriatic Sea, the model functions as a general description of the predator-prey relationship.
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