| Article ID: | iaor1988684 |
| Country: | Israel |
| Volume: | 25 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| Start Page Number: | 492 |
| End Page Number: | 500 |
| Publication Date: | Sep 1988 |
| Journal: | Journal of Applied Probability |
| Authors: | Cerrito P.B. |
| Keywords: | ecology |
The purpose of this paper is to explore the properties of a new model which can describe the interaction among individuals. Various other models have been proposed, but all assume that each individual acts independently of all others. The present model permits the assumption that individuals can be influenced and dominated by other individuals. The paper also demonstrates how this model can describe the interaction of various species in an ecosystem. This model will lead naturally to the definition of a population index of diversity. A means of estimating the values of the model will also be given.