Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 19, 2026

A Toolkit to Enable Hydrocarbon Conversion in Aqueous Environments
Published on: October 2, 2012
A mathematical model of nutrient influence on fungal competition
M Jabed A Choudhury1, Philip M J Trevelyan1, Graeme P Boswell1
1Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, CF37 1DL, UK.
Abstract:
Fungi have a well-established role in nutrient cycling and are widely used as agents in biological control and in the remediation of polluted landscapes. Competition for resources between different fungal communities is common in these contexts and its outcome impacts on the success of such biotechnological applications. In this investigation a mathematical model is constructed to represent competition between two fungal colonies that have access to different resources. It is shown that the model equations display a multitude of travelling wave solutions and that the outcome of competition between two fungal biomasses can be controlled through the simple manipulation of the nutrient resources available to each. The model equations are also numerically integrated to illustrate the range of outcomes arising from fungal competition and these results are placed in context of established experimental observations.
Related Concept Videos
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Pharmacodynamic Models: Logarithmic Concentration–Effect Model
Pharmacodynamic Models: Additive and Proportional Drug Effect Model
Pharmacodynamic Models: Emax Drug–Concentration Effect Model
Pharmacodynamic Models: Linear Concentration–Effect Model
Modeling with Differential Equations

