Lotka-Volterra competition model

In any given ecological community where multiple species use the same resource, there is bound to be competition. Competition between two species will always hinder both populations as long as both are present because the maximum capacity of the environment can only hold so many individuals. Studying these sorts of interactions allows scientists to understand how two species interact and how stable their interaction is. In order to quantify the competition of two species, scientists use the Lotka-Volterra equation. This equation takes into account the populations of both species, the effect of one on the other, and the total carrying capacity to produce a value indicating how the target population will grow. A graph can be plotted using the zero growth isoclines for each species; the number of individuals that could be sustained given only 1 species is present. Interpreting the graph will grant the best understanding of how these populations are interacting. If the species populations seem to converge at 1 point in the graph then there is said to be a stable equilibrium. An unstable equilibrium happens when there are 'risk' zones and if the number of individuals falls within these zones it is likely one population will push the other to extinction.