Abstract

The effects of roads, buildings, and cities on animal populations are widespread and, often times, disastrous. These structures fragment animals' homes, inhibiting their ability to obtain essential resources and to reproduce. The question arises then: Under what circumstances can an animal population persist in a fragmented landscape? To attempt to answer this question, we present a spatially explicit reaction-diffusion model with varying growth and diffusion rates that incorporates animal behavior at points where habitats are fragmented for four different habitats. The outcome of extinction or persistence of the animal population is determined by examining the effects of changing parameters on the principal eigenvalue of the associated eigenvalue problem. These results are also interpreted biologically and used to predict how wildlife protective measures should be implemented.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2021

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Nevai, A

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Mathematics

Degree Program

Mathematical Science

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0008675;DP0025406

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0025406

Language

English

Release Date

August 2021

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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