PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #12: Modeling.
Tuesday, August 7, 2001. Presentation from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Exhibition Hall
16
Effect of predator interference on population dynamics.
Nelson, Jennifer1, Wilson, William1, 1
ABSTRACT- Changes in predator foraging behavior can affect the population dynamics of predators and prey. Using deterministic models and simulations, we analyzed the effect of a change in the spatial distribution of foraging predators on the predator and prey population dynamics. We considered the situation where predators either allow other predators into their immediate area (by imposing a Poisson distribution of predators in a given location) or exclude other predators (a binomial distribution of predators). When multiple predators are allowed in a given location, the attack rate for each predator decreases due to interference from other predators in that location. This behavioral difference leads to larger regions of stable coexistence between predators and prey in the dynamical model.
KEY WORDS: predator-prey, interference competition