System Analysis and Context Assessment - Modelling Complex Ecological Dynamics - page 49

Fig. 4.2 Example of a flow diagram: Flow chart of the Lotka-Volterra equations, see Chap. 6
(6.11). In the classical flow-chart notation the diagram relates to the following differential
equation system

¼ Prey Increase Prey Decrease

d Prey/dt

¼ Pred Increase Pred Decrease

d Predator/dt

Capture term ¼ Capture Probability Prey Predator

Prey Increase ¼ Growth factor Prey

Prey Decrease ¼ Capture term

Pred Increase ¼ Conversion factor Capture term

Pred Decrease ¼ Mortality factor Predator

Why the General Systems Theory Is Extensible

General Systems Theory, as introduced by von Bertalanffy and others, raised the
expectation of general applicability, i.e. being an “all purpose approach”. What would
be more general than listing what it is that changes, and then assigning howmuch that
would be under certain circumstances. The approach was applied and actually is most