MATHEMATICAL AND STATISTICAL FORMULATION OF AN ECOLOGICAL MODEL WITH APPLICATIONS

In many cases, modelling of ecosystems results from the setting up of a system of ordinary, non-linear differential equations whose flow var iables are functions obtained from experimental data. In this paper we develop a new methodology based on choosing a set of functions so tha t we are able to adjust their linear combination using multiple linear regression. Choosing these functions, however, implies the prior cons ideration of a finite set of analytical functions of 'elementary type' and then analyse their compositions up to an order n, which will be c alled 'n-transformed'. These transformed functions are the ones which will then be adjusted. As an application of this new methodology the M ariola model is considered. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.