Abstract
The basis for this study is a published model (J. Appl. Ecol., 15: 65–87) that simulates the temporal behavior of a population of rice weevils ( Sitophilus oryzea, L.) reared in small cells of wheat, and the environmental changes associated with population growth. This model was conceived and defined solely in terms of a FORTRAN algorithm. Such a structure was found to be flexible, and hence convenient, in the early stages of model development; in later stages, however, the mass of detail incorporated in the computer algorithm limited the model's development and made a full and comprehensible description of the model impossible. Thus we attempted to separate as much as possible of the underlying mathematical model from the computer algorithm. In order to facilitate this we extended the classical Leslie matrix model to describe the temporal behavior both of the weevil population and of relevant aspects of the environment. This model structure allowed a full and comprehensive statement of the complex algorithmically-defined model, and facilitated its extension from simulating a homogeneous to simulating a heterogeneous environment. The extended model was used to look at the effectiveness of various degrees of gas-tightness, for various initial temperatures and initial weevil densities, during winter storage of wheat in an underground granary.
Published Version
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