Can predators and prey coexist?
Predators need prey to grow; prey lose population when predators are abundant.
Inside this model
Discrete Euler steps approximate dX/dt=αX−βXY and dY/dt=δXY−γY. Initial prey is 50, α=food/100, β=.006, δ=.002 and γ=.18. A step of .2 is run for 100 ticks.
Out in the world
A practical use
Explore why predator peaks can lag behind prey peaks in a simplified food web.
A useful lens. Not a universal law.
- This minimal two-species model ignores migration, saturation and seasonality; its oscillations are not a forecast.
Associated thinkers
Further reading
Explore the original research or the teaching reference behind this experiment.
Lotka–Volterra equations and SIR models — review ↗