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Berryman, A.A.
The origins and evolution of predator-prey theory
1992 Ecology (73): 1530-1535
Predator-prey theory is traced from its origins in the Malthus-Verhulst logistic equation, through the Lotka-Bolterra equations, logistic modifications to both prey and predator equations, incorporation of the Michaelis-Menten-Holling functional response into the predator and prey equations, and the recent development of ratio-dependent functional responses and per-capita rate of change functions. Some of the problems of classical predator-prey theory, including the paradoxes of enrichment and biological control, seem to have been caused by the application of the principle of mass action to predator-prey interactions. Predator-prey models that evolved from logistic theory or that incorporate ratio-dependent functional responses do not have these problems and also seem to be more biologically plausible.
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