lab report Rabbits and Wolves The simulation program is foun

lab report Rabbits and Wolves\'

The simulation program is found http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/.For your discussion section on the lab report:

Discuss the changes in parameters and how they affected the population growth curves for each organism (be sure to mention particular changes in the graphs and ending populations).

Think about how this simulation could apply to the real world. What other factors or variables would have to be included.

What if humans were added as a fourth organism, how would they affect this simulation? Also, do you think that a computer model is a useful tool to science? More precisely do you think there are times when such a model is useful and when such a model is not useful?

Be sure to start your discussion with a statement of objectives - I have listed objectives above, write and state if you think you obtained the objectives and explain why or why not. There is absolutely no penalty for thinking that you didn\'t complete one of the objectives.

Solution

In the default graph, Rabbit parameters are set as below:

Rabbit Food Level Maximum = 45

Rabbit Metabolism Rate = 3

Rabbit Reproduction Age =10

Rabbit Reproduction Probability= 50

Rabbit Reproduction Food Level = 40

Maximum Rabbit Age =25

For an example:

On the above parameters, possibly, we can change reproduction probability and food level. If we decrease the level for both at 30, we find that up to 42 generations rabbit and plants population increase on regular proportion but population of wolves maintained at very low amount (almost 0.1% of total). After that, there was dramatic decrease in rats population goes to very low amount; on the other hand, wolves’ population increases at some extent and get stabilize. The plant population increases after a little fall in the same duration. After fall of the population wolves population decreases and get extinct after 130 generations, now there were only two populations rabbit and plants. They had a big fall and down but after some time equilibrium get maintain. Now only regular fall and down maintained.

If we apply the simulation in real world, various other factors also affect the results. These factors include humans’ influence, open boundaries of ecosystem, other animals population, and physical and chemical factors. Those factors may cause no extinction or maximum extinction, extinction of other one than expected one.