Physics / Math / Earth
Predator–prey (Lotka–Volterra)
An agent ecosystem: grass, herds, hunters - and Lotka–Volterra cycles.
What happens
A living ecosystem: grass grows, herbivore herds graze it, predators hunt the herds. The populations chase each other in the classic Lotka-Volterra cycles, visible live on the phase portrait. Drop extra animals with the mouse and switch on the seasons to stress the balance.
Equations used in the module
Equations dN/dt = a N − b N P, dP/dt = c N P − d P (Lotka–Volterra) cycles around N* = d/c, P* = a/b the agents drift around the same loop
