Using Mathematical Modelling to Defeat Pests

Using a Lotka-Volterra mathematical model to describe predator-prey interactions is nothing new. Testing those mathematical models with actual living organisms is more complicated. This is where Susan Bailey, Rana Parshad, and Diana White come in. The team has decided to take commonly found bacteria and protozoa and grow them in the lab. They will introduce the predator (protozoa) to the prey (bacteria) and track how well their population numbers match with the model. They then plan to tweak the system in ways suggested by the mathematical model, introducing new bacteria to the mix to see if the protozoa will do an even better job of eating the original bacteria. The hope is that these simple experiments will help to suggest more efficient, non-toxic, bio-control approaches for eliminating pests and invasive species in nature.

This biology and mathematics team is just another example of interdisciplinary experiments and problem-solving going on at Clarkson University. While a mathematician won't be showing up anytime soon to get rid of your problems with ants in the kitchen, maybe one day a very different exterminator will arrive — one without all the chemicals.