24th Annual Student Research Conference
Modeling Energy Allocation in a Generalist Predator
Boryana S. Koseva* and Stephen M. Quinn
Dr. Chad Montgomery and Dr. Phil Ryan, Faculty Mentors
The energy available to an organism to do work is allocated to competing physiological functions based on the organism's life history and its environment. The successful allocation of energy determines the lifetime reproductive success of an organism (i.e. its fitness). We studied the Northern Watersnake ( Nerodia sipedon ) in order to understand how energy is allocated to growth and reproduction, two competing physiological functions. We incorporated our results in a modeling framework to predict effect on lifetime fitness, and used a genetic algorithm to optimize the output.
Keywords: life history, northern water snake, mathematical model, programming, genetic algorithm, energy allocation, growth, reproduction
Topic(s):Mathematical Biology
Biology
Mathematics
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 32-2
Location: MG 1000
Time: 1:30