🌿 Ecosystem

About the Simulation

This is the classic Lotka-Volterra model, which demonstrates the interaction between predators (🦊) and prey (🐰).

When there's a lot of prey, predators multiply. When there are a lot of predators, prey die off, and the predators starve as a result.

Rules

Prey: Eat grass (green dots), reproduce when they have enough energy.

Predators: Hunt prey. If they don't eat, they lose energy and die.

Balance: A stable ecosystem only emerges with the right ratio.

History of the Model

The Lotka-Volterra equations were independently developed by Alfred Lotka (1925) and Vito Volterra (1926).

Volterra created the model to explain fluctuations in fish populations in the Adriatic Sea after the First World War.

Examples in Nature

🐺🦌 Wolves and deer — a classic example from Isle Royale (USA).

🦁🦓 Lions and zebras — the African savanna demonstrates these cycles.

🦈🐟 Sharks and fish — marine ecosystems.

🐛🌿 Caterpillars and plants — even insects follow these laws.

Mathematical Model

The classic equations:

dx/dt = αx - βxy
dy/dt = δxy - γy

x — prey population, y — predators
α — prey birth rate, β — death rate from predation
δ — hunting efficiency, γ — predator death rate