Modeling Ecosystems Using P Systems: The Bearded Vulture, a Case Study

Abstract

The Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is an endangered species in Europe that feeds almost exclusively on bone remains of wild and domestic ungulates. In this paper, we present a model of an ecosystem related to the Bearded Vulture in the Pyrenees (NE Spain), by using P systems. The evolution of six species is studied: the Bearded Vulture and five subfamilies of domestic and wild ungulates upon which the vulture feeds. P systems provide a high level computational modeling framework which integrates the structural and dynamic aspects of ecosystems in a comprehensive and relevant way. P systems explicitly represent the discrete character of the components of an ecosystem by using rewriting rules on multisets of objects which represent individuals of the population and bones. The inherent stochasticity and uncertainty in ecosystems is captured by using probabilistic strategies. In order to experimentally validate the P system designed, we have constructed a simulator that allows us to analyze the evolution of the ecosystem under different initial conditions.