A mathematical model to calculate the population of Mammuthus columbi (Mammalia, Proboscidea, Elephantidae) during the Late Pleistocene in the Valsequillo Basin, Puebla, Mexico

Mathematical models are a helpful tool that can help palaeoecology research advance in similar ways as the ones already used in theoretical ecology. In this article, we use a mathematical model based on differential equations to estimate the past Mammuthus columbi population in the Valsequillo Basin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inHistorical biology Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 750 - 758
Main Authors Jiménez-Moreno, Francisco Javier, Morales-Tehuitzitl, Esli Daniel, Carbot-Chanona, Gerardo, Velázquez-Castro, Jorge
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Taylor & Francis 03.04.2022
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Differential equations
ecological equilibrium
Famine
Food
Food cans
Food production
Food resources
Loxodonta africana
Mammuthus columbi
Mathematical models
mathematical simulation
migration
Palaeoecology
Paleoecology
Pleistocene
Population dynamics
Mexico
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Summary:Mathematical models are a helpful tool that can help palaeoecology research advance in similar ways as the ones already used in theoretical ecology. In this article, we use a mathematical model based on differential equations to estimate the past Mammuthus columbi population in the Valsequillo Basin, Puebla, Mexico. We calibrated the model based on the biological and etiologic parameters of the African elephant Loxodonta africana. In addition to the mean population, the analysis allows inferring the population dynamics of the M. columbi on the Valsequillo Basin. The model is based on the ecological interactions between M. columbi and its food resource. It was found that the population must have been oscillating before an equilibrium was reached. Several potential scenarios based on on-site food production (grass) are here analysed. It was found that a good efficiency of the M. columbi to find food can lead to recurrent cycles of abundance and famine. In this situation, the M. columbi populations must have emigrate and then immigrate in periodic circles to avoid starvation.
ISSN:0891-2963
1029-2381
DOI:10.1080/08912963.2021.1946530