Week 8 First Draft
Have you ever wondered how to make a graph related to the relationship between Lions and Zebras? Well during the lecture given by Helen Christodoulidi named “Latka-Volterra Systems: Dynamics and Applications” on the date (19/11/25).
The way graph this dynamic is called the predator-prey model which is an ecological model that uses two linked differential equations to describe the dynamic relationship between two species, where one is a predator and the other is its prey. The classic example is the Lotka-Volterra model, which shows how the prey population grows exponentially without predators, while predation decreases it. An example of this is the following graph [1].
Fascinatingly this model was introduced by both Lotka and Volterra independently. The Lotka-Volterra model has a variety of uses not only predator and prey. It has been adapted to be able to model competitive relationships like for resource. Microbial ecology as it can quantify the interactions in a large microbial community. The final ecological use is Disease dynamics as it can be applied to model the interactions between viruses within a host. Another example which is non ecological is economics as the model has been used to study market competition, the impact of innovation, and government policies in economic systems [2][3].
Helen described this model as something that can be done by hand instead of by a computer doing simulations. The Lotka-Volterra model has been labelled as simplistic and that its nature often limits its accuracy in capturing the complexities of real-world ecosystems [4]. However, given a large data set within the parameters of the model and they are often accurate. To conclude, the Lotka-Volterra system is an important predator-prey model which can describe dynamical models in ecology, biology and finance.
References
[1] GeeksforGeeks (2025) Lotka-Volterra Model of Predator-Prey Relationship. Available at: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/biology/lotka-volterra-model-of-predator-prey-relationship/ (Accessed: 25 November 2025).
[2] Davis, J.D., Oliven�a, D.V., Brown, S.P. and Voit, E.O. (2022) ‘Methods of quantifying interactions among populations using Lotka-Volterra models’, Frontiers in Systems Biology, 2, 1021897. doi: 10.3389/fsysb.2022.1021897.
[3] Wikipedia (2025) LotkaVolterra equations. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotka%E2%80%93Volterra_equations (Accessed: 25 November 2025)
[4] M�ller, H., Schmidt, G. and Fischer, L. (2024) ‘Lotka-Volterra Model with Principle Component Analysis’, Journal of Computational Biology and Medicine, 4(4), pp. 1-10 https://hal.science/hal-05017221v1/document#:~:text=The%20Lotka%2DVolterra%20model%20has,complexities%20of%20real%2Dworld%20ecosystems.
63893
Image in report is not needed as reference is used.
Consider writing a bit more as report is short compared to others, more context as well.
Good use of references and external research.
56001
Good overall presentation with the date, name of speaker and title included (slight typo in title as it is Lotka-Volterra not Latka). Accurate reporting of the lecture content and majority of information reported. Contextualised the lecture well, using a wide range of contexts in biology and finance. Good use of sources, would maybe just add a direct quotation but i like you have a lot of references to back up the blog. Good writing style, definitely suitable for a lay audience. I especially like the diagram to visualise and clear explanations of how Lotka-Volterra equations work using predator and prey as examples.
90561
Good use of external research throughout. Overall very concise and readable!