![]() ![]() To predict such oscillations, scientists use simple mathematical models according to which populations of predator and prey species can theoretically coexist indefinitely. This in turn leads to a rapid increase in the prey population and a new cycle begins. ![]() Soon afterwards, predator numbers likewise decrease due to starvation. Predator-prey cycles are based on a feeding relationship between two species: if the prey species rapidly multiplies, soon afterwards the number of predators increases - until the predators eventually eat so many prey that the prey population goes down again. "Our experiments confirm the theoretical concept of self-generated predator-prey cycles," says lead author Blasius, who heads the Mathematical Modelling group at the University of Oldenburg's Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM). In an article published in the current issue of the scientific journal Nature, the researchers report that although there were brief periods when the regular oscillations in the two populations were interrupted by random swings, they always returned to their normal rhythm on their own. Bernd Blasius from the University of Oldenburg, Germany, observed these oscillations in rotifer and unicellular algae populations across 50 cycles - a record period of time for this kind of study. In a long-term experiment, an international team of researchers led by Prof. Predator-prey cycles are among the fundamental phenomena of ecological systems: the population sizes of predators and their prey, for instance foxes and hares, are frequently subject to regular oscillations. ![]() view moreĬredit: Guntram Weithoff/ University of Potsdam The research also sheds light on how such cycles can persist. Bernd Blasius from the University of Oldenburg, Germany, observed these oscillations across 50 cycles - a record period of time for this kind of study. In a long-term experiment with the planktonic freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus and unicellular algal populations, an international team of researchers led by Prof. Image: Predator-prey cycles are among the fundamental phenomena of ecological systems. ![]()
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