Project
Spatio-temporal modelling of infochemicals in a food web context
Chemical information strongly affects interactions among organisms in food webs. Food webs are overlaid with infochemical webs as organisms invariably reveal information about themselves, either deliberately through communication or involuntary through their actions.
The information web affects the dispersal and spread of organisms, the distribution of their natural enemies and competitor species, and consequently, spatial population dynamics of all food web species. We develop, validate and analyse a mathematical model that integrates the functioning of an information web within food web interactions by incorporating odour plume dynamics and chemo-tactic responses into a spatial model of the parasitoid-host interaction. More specifically, we investigate the influence of the availability of infochemicals on colonisation and establishment of the Drosophila in presence or absence of its natural enemy the parasitoid Leptopilina heterotoma.
M.E. Lof
Cooperation with: M. Dicke