12. Modern Predator-Prey Models
What will you learn in this lecture:
- The major limitations of the Lotka-Volterra approach and how to relax those limiting and/or false assumptions to lead to more realistic models.
- The conditions necessary for stable coexistence in a predator-prey system.
Enrolled students of fall 2024 should watch this lecture before October 22.
What questions should you be able to answer now?
- Why is it necessary to adjust the classical Lotka-Volterra model?
- What are the outcomes of the advanced model and what does it depend on?
- Is it possible to observe those different outcomes in the real world?
This lecture is the last one to be included in the midterm examination.
(The midterm examination covers lectures 1.-12., while the final exam
covers the lectures 13.-22.)
The midterm examination will be held October 29. If you are Masaryk University student enrolled in this course I highly recommend you to go through the example tests provided below. If you are not, you can use them to test your knowledge.
Be aware, that some of the tests were given in courses with more lectures so some of the questions were not covered by this course. The questions marked in yellow were not covered during the lectures. Feel free to ask for clarifications.
Please note, that the exam is structured a bit more differently than is common for exams at Czech universities. The goal of most of the questions is not to test whether you remember the facts, but whether you truly understand the topic. Therefore you will be asked for your opinions or explanations. Sometimes even "wrong" answer can be "right", if you are able to justify it. So please, if you are unable to answer some of the questions, do not hesitate to ask about them at the Q&A session during the weekly meeting.
Useful links and materials:
Chapter 11 in: Krebs, Charles J. Ecology: The Experimental Analysis of Distribution and Abundance.
Featured image: It looks like things might have gone better for Wile E. Coyote if he had decided to switch prey... (Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner are Looney Tunes characters created by Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese)