STABILITY (Lotka-Volterra model of)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3155 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
C. HOLLING evaluates this model in the following way: “… the familiar LOTKA — VOLTERRA model includes the simplest and least realistic (terms), in which death of prey is caused only by predators, predation is a linear function of the product of prey and predator populations, and growth of the predator population is linearly proportional to the same product. This model generates neutral stability…, but the assumptions are very unrealistic since very few components are included, there are no explicit lags or spatial elements, and thresholds, limits and nonlinearities are missing” (1976, p.75-6).
In any case, LOTKA and VOLTERRA's work has been a pioneering one. Its critique led precisely to the study of the aspects emphasized by HOLLING and contributed to the emergence of the concepts of attractors, stability and chaos, as well as to a better understanding of the nature and importance of nonlinearity.