Food Webs, Competition Graphs, and Habitat Formation

DIMACS, Rutgers University, 96 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NY 08854-8018, USA

^⋆ Corresponding author. E-mail: midgec@dimacs.rutgers.edu

Abstract

One interesting example of a discrete mathematical model used in biology is a food web. The first biology courses in high school and in college present the fundamental nature of a food web, one that is understandable by students at all levels. But food webs as part of a larger system are often not addressed. This paper presents materials that can be used in undergraduate classes in biology (and mathematics) and provides students with the opportunity to explore mathematical models of predator-prey relationships, determine trophic levels, dominant species, stability of the ecosystem, competition graphs, interval graphs, and even confront problems that would appear to have logical answers that are as yet unsolved.