The Influence of Environmental Feedback on Ecological Competition

Disciplines

Biology | Mathematics

Abstract (300 words maximum)

Species occupying the same ecological niche must compete for resources and space. The competitive exclusion principle states that two species filling the same niche cannot coexist indefinitely; that is, one will always outcompete the other. Mathematical modeling offers an efficient method of studying the primary factors that determine which species survive this kind of competitive interaction. In this project, we examine the role of environmental feedback on ecological competition by analyzing a classic Lotka-Volterra ordinary differential equation (ODE) model that we extend to incorporate a simple model of the environment. We use a combination of analytical and numerical methods to study how the interaction between competing species and their environment stabilizes or destabilizes the coexistence of the species. Our results offer insight into how real-life environmental states influence ecological competition.

Academic department under which the project should be listed

CSM - Mathematics

Primary Investigator (PI) Name

Glenn Young

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The Influence of Environmental Feedback on Ecological Competition

Species occupying the same ecological niche must compete for resources and space. The competitive exclusion principle states that two species filling the same niche cannot coexist indefinitely; that is, one will always outcompete the other. Mathematical modeling offers an efficient method of studying the primary factors that determine which species survive this kind of competitive interaction. In this project, we examine the role of environmental feedback on ecological competition by analyzing a classic Lotka-Volterra ordinary differential equation (ODE) model that we extend to incorporate a simple model of the environment. We use a combination of analytical and numerical methods to study how the interaction between competing species and their environment stabilizes or destabilizes the coexistence of the species. Our results offer insight into how real-life environmental states influence ecological competition.