A NUMERICAL-MODEL FOR TRACKING POPULATIONS THROUGH A TIME-DEPENDENT STOCHASTIC NETWORK

Units from a population arrive from an external source in a random or fixed pattern at an initial compartment of a D-compartment, linked, ne twork. Once inside the network, individuals move in a statistically in dependent manner among compartments, finally entering absorbing compar tments from which they never depart. A numerical adaptation of the mod el is described and demonstrated. The model is compared to the MacArth ur-Wilson model of island biogeography with respect to differences in statistics of movements that each model is capable of generating. A nu merical example is given.