[SwarmFest2004] Submission for presentation at SwarmFest 2004

[Eliezer Gurarie]

To whom it may concern:

I have attached an abstract for a talk to present at SwarmFest 2004.  I 
am assuming that the format is similar to previous years, i.e. about 15 
minutes per talk (if I recall correctly).  I was unable to find more 
explicit descriptions on your website.

In any case, thanks for your consideration,

yours,
Eli

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Eliezer Gurarie
PhD Student
Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management
University of Washington, Seattle
Box 352182
Seattle, WA 98195-2182
Tel: 206-616-9288
Fax: 206-543-8798
http://students.washington.edu/eliezg
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Name:

Eliezer Gurarie

Institution:

Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management 
University of Washington, Seattle


Title: 

A Spatially Explicit, Bioenergetically Cosntrained, IBM of Predator-Prey 
Interactions in a Stream


Abstract: 

The northern pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) is a fresh-water predator 
that contributes significantly to the mortality of ocean-bound juvenile 
salmonids (Oncorhynchus sp.) in the lower Columbia River basin.  Models used to 
estimate predation on salmonids tend to lack information about spatial 
variability of predators and prey and complexity of the environment and to 
ignore the energetic constraints of feeding fish.  

A spatially explicit bioenergetically constrained individual based model of 
pikeminnow predation on salmon smolt was developed in SWARM.  In it, a predator 
with basic foraging behavior encounters passing prey.  The model provides the 
opportunity to explore environmental variables (temperature, flow velocities, 
light availability), and individual behavioral variables (reaction distances, 
aggregation of prey) in a unified context.  Simulations show that growth and 
consumption display a strong though qualified dependence on temperature, 
spatial structure of migrating prey, and prey density.  

The model has potential for testing the assumptions used in smolt migration and 
survival models and exploring the role of heterogeneity and environmental 
complexity on the pikeminnow-salmonid system.  An expansion of this approach 
would integrate aspects of visual foraging, bioenergetics, swimming mechanics, 
behavioral responses and hydrodynamics, and contribute to a unified theory of 
predator-prey interactions in aquatic environments.