An analytical foundation of the ratio-dependent predator-prey model

In this paper we present a micro ecosystem model whose basic entities are representative prey and predator organisms which behave as if they maximize their net offspring under constraints. In the short-run periods, prices (scarcity indicators) coordinate and determine all biomass transactions and net offspring which directly translates into population growth and thus constitutes the dynamics of the predator-prey relations. For a specific parametric version, our model offers a theoretical foundation of the ratio-dependent predator-prey model with Michaelis-Menten type functional response. © Springer 2006.