#Predators vs prey how to#

The rise and fall in the recorded hare and lynx populations over time suggests that there is a relationship between the two animals, which makes sense as we know that lynxes eat hares.

(B) The number of lynx pelts collected (in tens of thousands) over time, inferred from Hudson Bay Company data from 1895 to 1935 1.

Figure 1 - (A) The number of hare pelts collected (in tens of thousands) over time.

The data show that in some years, like 1927, there were more lynxes (predators) but fewer hares (prey), while in other years, like 1932, there were more hares but fewer lynxes. The number of hare or lynx pelts collected tells us about the levels of each animals’ population and can give us a reasonable picture of the predator-prey relationship.

Figure 1 shows the company’s data for the number of hare and lynx pelts. The Hudson Bay Company made yearly records of the numbers of snow lynx and snowshoe hare pelts they collected. To model a predator-prey relationship, we will use population data (records of how many animals there are) collected by a company that hunted both the predators and prey for their fur in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In this paper we will show how some basic mathematics, like addition, subtraction, and multiplication, can be used to model the predator-prey relationships seen in the wild. To make a successful mathematical model, we need to collect data from the environment. Modelling the relationship between predators and prey helps scientists understand how their populations change over time, and it can let scientists know when an animal could be at risk of extinction. Scientists sometimes use mathematics to test theories they have about the animals or even to try to predict the future! This is called mathematical modelling.

#Predators vs prey how to#

Scientists need to collect information so they can understand how to protect the environment and the animals who live there. In this article, we show what the predator-prey relationship looks like over time and explain how scientists can make predictions about future population levels, all using basic mathematics like addition, subtraction, and multiplication. What do you think would happen if a predator were introduced to an ecosystem where the prey previously lived without fear of being hunted? Would the new predator eat all the prey animals until they go extinct? Actually, the relationship between predator and prey is far more interesting than this. Animals who are hunted and eaten are known as prey.

Some animals hunt other animals to feed themselves these animals are called predators.