In this talk I will introduce three paradoxes in the spatial ecology of predators and prey. (1) Buffer Zone Paradox: Why do wolves maintain stable buffer zones for prey, even though they may be only saving prey for the neighboring packs? (2) Road Use Paradox: Why are wolves attracted to roads and related linear features, even though that can mean higher chances of dying? (3) Path Less Travelled Paradox: Why do wolves preferentially travel to places they haven’t been recently, even if it means fewer prey? To help solve these paradoxes, I will start with the Fokker-Planck equation, which describes the probability density function for an individual undergoing a random walk. I will then employ a mixture of mathematical approaches including nonlinear advection-diffusion, differential games, first passage time theory and stochastic processes. All of the resulting models will be fit to data before drawing scientific conclusions.

Refreshments will be served preceding the talk, beginning at 2:45.
This talk is being jointly hosted with the UBC Math-Bio group, as part of a full-day colloquium: