Rabbits and Wolves Simulation

Introduction
The computer simulation Rabbits and Wolves gives the learner the opportunity to manipulate
and observe how two sets of species can interact in an environment, and can give insight to how
the study of ecology is carried out. The word species can be defined as a group of organisms
with certain defining characteristics in common, and the study of ecology focuses on the
distribution and abundance of organisms, the interaction between organisms and their
environment.
In order to make diverse observations, this simulator allows us to manipulate several areas of the
program, such as the parameters and the reaction of the organisms caused by this action. This can
range from forest size, an initial number of both rabbits and wolves that can dictate the
cumulative stats, initial rates of the grass in the environment, and the capacity of food levels for
both rabbits and wolves.
This kind of introduction to a simulator fulfills the Laboratory investigations develop critical
thinking and formal report writing skills of the given syllabus for this course. This allows the
observer to master and notate how a natural environment is able to thrive and recover, despite
unsual factors thrown into the equation.

Objectives
1. To view and interact with a simple scientific computer model.
2. To determine how simple changes in populations of one organism will effect populations of
organisms in the same system.
3. To use a computer model to complete objective 2.

Hypothesis
I believe that the number given in each population, along with the given environment, will
strongly dictacte the incline, decline, and rate of recovery of each given species.

Results
Graph 1
Rate of growth and decline of the population of wolves and rabbits in a natural environment.
The grid below shows the statistics of the simulation with the default parameters for 171
interations. The default parameters are seen as the following:
Rabbits Wolves
Initital Population 20 5
Initial Food Levels 10 150
Initial Grass Value 20 20
Maximum Food Level 45 200
Metabolism Rate 3 2
Reproduction Age 10 10
Reproduction Probability 50 50
Reproduction Food Level 40 120
Maximum Age 25 50
The rabbit food value for wolves is 10, and the grass growth rate is labeled as 1.

Cultumative Stats:
Number of Rabbits living: 0
Number of Rabbits that died: 907
Number of Rabbits born: 887
Number of Wolves living: 0
Number of Wolves that died: 97
Number of Wovles born: 64
 Graph 2
Rabbit population growth without the factor of a predator.
The wolf population has been removed entirely from the simulation.
The simulation runs through a total of 192 iterations.

Cumulative Stats:
Number of Rabbits living: 116
Number of Rabbits that died: 1635
Number of Rabbits born: 1731
 Graph 3
The rabbits population without the threat of a predator, and their food supply cut in half
The wolves population remains at zero, and the grass value has been cut in half.
The simulation runs through 196 iterations.

Cumulative Stats:
Number of Rabbits living: 424
Number of Rabbits that died: 1423
Number of Rabbits born: 1827
 Graph 4
Survival rate with a higher wolf population and a lower rabbit population in default forest size.
The initial number of rabbits starts at 5, and the initial number of wolves starts at 10. The grass
values has been stored to 200.
The simulation runs through 196 interations.

Cumulated Stats:
Number of Rabbits Living: 18
Number of Rabbits that had died: 1858
Number of Rabbits born: 1871
Number of Wolves living: 0
Number of Wolves that died: 19
Number of Wolves born: 9
Discussion
In the beginning, the initiative had been to become familiar with the simulator, and observe the
populations characteristics, based on the given parameters. In the first graph, it would see that the
defaulted area of an environment dictated how the population would thrive and decline. Since
both of the species were limited to space, they both eventually died out quickly, due to the
fluctuation of their food supply; the rabbits did not survive long enough to see their food supply
replenish from their needs. Although, in Graph 2, it would seem that the removal of the rabbits
predator allowed the rabbit to fluctuation comfortably with the rate of the grass value. The value
of the grass would keep up with the growth of the rabbit population, but as it hit its peak, the rate
value of the grass could not keep up with the demand. As the demand lessened, the value of grass
increased once more to fit the needs of the rabbit population. Even with the grass value cut in
half, as shown in Graph 3, the fluctuation of the rabbit population and the grass value still
managed to balance each other out, despite the size of the given environment. With Graph 5,
however, it was interesting to see that the wolves population could not increase from the given
small initial number, and it was once again the rabbit population that seemed to manage a
balance within the rabbit population and the grass value. With this being said, despite the given
default environment, the rabbits population somehow managed to withstand its growth, even
with the initial number of wolves given in Graph 5; this would show that the rate and growth of a
population can strongly withhold onto their given food supply, and how much it takes for the
species to become satiated with that given supply.
If this was a real world simulation, I believe the given factor that would contribute heavily to the
outcome of this given situation would be the size of the environment that the two species finds
themselves in. If there had been a bigger environment introduced, this would give an opportunity
for the rabbits and the wolves to spread throughout the land, and would have given equal
opportunity for both species to grow within their population. I also feel that with a larger given
environment, this would introduce both new predators to the rabbits population, and new prey
introduced to the wolves population. The wolves may direct their attention to the new prey,
while the rabbits may face a new fluctuation in their population with more than one predator
given in their living environment. The increase of other predators could also initiate the idea of
predators fighting for their territories, and this could affect where the wolves would live, but also
the health status of the wolf population as well. The more times that a predator has to fight for
their territory and prove being the dominant of the given environment, the increase of injury also
becomes a factor; this could hinder the rate of growth for the wolves population. I believe the
location of the environment would also hold its own factors, as the weather can affect how often
the wolves decide to hunt depending on the elements, and how often the rabbits will stay out of
the same given harsh elements.
I believe if humans had been added as a fourth element, this would have changed the graphs
drastically. I state this, because humans have this unfulfilling need to consume the environment
and living things within that environment. Humans would start consuming the rabbits for meat
and may find it necessary to use their fur as well, which in turn will decrease the rabbits
population. Humans could also see wolves as a threat to their survival, and attempt to kill them
off for protection, and also find the need to use their fur for warmth, or even their meat as a food
supply as well. I also feel that humans would consume the land given, due to the wants of fitting
their given needs as much as possible to live in a comfortable setting. They would also deplete
the grass supply due to their need for a comfortable setting, which could mean the start of
creating houses, which would prevent the grass value to replenish. I believe with this element
added, it would increase the decreasing rate of both the rabbits and wolves population faster.

Resources
Environmental Science, Fifteenth Edition, G. Tyler Miller, Scott E Spoolman, Boston,
Ma.
"British Ecological Society." British Ecological Society. The British Ecology Society, n.d.
Web. 08 Feb. 2016. <http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/about-ecology/>.