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Updated: Jul 24, 2026

Assaying Predatory Feeding Behaviors in Pristionchus and Other Nematodes
Published on: September 4, 2016
[Explicit model for searching behavior of predator]
Iu V Tiutiunov1, N Iu Sapukhina, I N Senina
1Department of Mathematical Methods in Economics and Ecology, Institute of Mechanics & Applied Mathematics, Rostov State University, Stachki ul. 200/1, Rostov-na-Dony 344090, Russia. ytyutyun@math.rsu.ru
Abstract:
The authors present an approach for explicit modeling of spatio-temporal dynamics of predator-prey community. This approach is based on a reaction-diffusion-adjection PD (prey dependent) system. Local kinetics of population is determined by logistic reproduction function of prey, constant natural mortality of predator and Holling type 2 trophic function. Searching behavior of predator is described by the advective term in predator balance equation assuming the predator acceleration to be proportional to the prey density gradient. The model was studied with zero-flux boundary conditions. The influence of predator searching activity on the community dynamics, in particular, on the emergence of spatial heterogeneity, has been investigated by linear analysis and numerical simulations. It has been shown how searching activity may effect the persistence of species, stabilizing predator-prey interactions at very low level of pest density. It has been demonstrated that obtaining of such dynamic regimes does not require the use of complex trophic functions.
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