Bio-Core

Hints




In order to save you some time, here are some hints as to what kind of investigations you might want to try.

  1. Minimal Effect. Start with the same settings for both the Blue and Red populations (Size = 2, Growth Rate = 0.5, Carrying Capacity = 100, Overlap = 0.01, Time = 30) See to what size each population grows. Test the effect of increasing the initial population Size on the final population size. Test the effect of growth rate.
    Do any of these changes to the values for the Blue population adversely affect the final population size of the Red population?
  2. Different Carrying Capacities. Double or triple the carrying capacity of the Blue population while leaving the Red population alone. Do both populations eventually reach the same levels as before?
  3. The Effect of Competition. Having established some baseline conditions, you may now want to see what is the effect of making the competition between the populations more intense. At the same time make the overlap of the Blue and Red populations 0.1.
    Do they both grow the same, do they both reach the same levels? Now what is the effect of changing the carrying capacity for one population while keeping it the same for the second population?
    Why do you think this is happening
  4. Differential Competition. What happens when you make the overlap for the Blue population larger or smaller than the overlap for the Red population? What final effects do you see when the competition overlap for one population is very much greater than the competition overlap for the second population (e.g. Red overlap = 0.9, Blue overlap = 0.1)?
    Now what is the effect of changing the carrying capacity of the Blue population?
  5. Mature Populations. Try setting the initial population to the same value as the carrying capacity (Red population Size = 100, Capacity = 100 / Blue population Size = 0). This simulates a mature Red population that is in balance and without any competition.
    Now introduce a competitor. Make the size of the Blue population = 1 (keeping all the other values for each population the same). What happens? What does this tell you?
  6. What are the four possible outcomes when two populations compete?

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