Predation and Harvesting in Spatial Population Models

Connor Shrader

University of Central Florida

"Predation and Harvesting in Spatial Population Models"

Predation and harvesting play critical roles in maintaining biodiversity in ecological communities. Too much harvesting may drive a species to extinction, while too little harvesting may allow a population to drive out competing species. The spatial features of a habitat can also significantly affect population dynamics within these communities. Here, we formulate and analyze three ordinary differential equation models for the population density of a single species. Each model differs in its assumptions about how the species is harvested. We then extend each of these models to analogous partial differential equation models that more explicitly describe the spatial habitat and the movement of individuals using reaction-diffusion equations. We study the existence and stability of non-zero equilibria of these models in terms of each model’s parameters. Biological interpretations for these results are discussed.

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