Presented to the Industrial Engineering Department

De La Salle University - Manila

Term 3, A.Y. 2019-20120

Lab case #2 Rabbit and Lynx

In partial fulfillment
of the course
in LBYIEEH

Submitted by:
Perez, Westin
Tung, Joanne

Submitted to:
Ms. Angeli Miguel

August 2, 2020

Introduction:
 Rabbits and Lynx in Northern Canada
The daily life of the lynx is closely tied to the snowshoe rabbit. The lynx has a huge appetite for
these rabbits, and its body is particularly well suited to hunting them. In summer, the lynx often feeds on
mice or ground squirrels, but its mind seems to generally fill with visions of Peter Lepus, and its
imagination travels beyond a rabbit dinner only with difficulty. This would be all very well, except that
through the ages things have come to pass that the lynx cannot do very well without the rabbits.
Since rabbits do not have Planned Parenthood, their numbers depend wholly on natural laws. For
a period of years the rabbit population grows rapidly. For the lynx, this makes a very rosy world. Its food
supply increases by leaps and bounds; the lynx flourish and baby lynx abound. A day comes when there
are hundred of rabbits per square mile and a large lynx population. The woods are filled with life and
activity. The size and concentration of the rabbit population, however, jeopardizes every rabbit, for now
any disease can spread rapidly. And that is what generally happens in Northern Canada unless food
scarcity strikes first. Great numbers of rabbits die of disease. In a year or two, the lynx find the woods
empty. Starvation is now a problem. The lynx roam the woods, capturing what they can. Old hunting
grounds are deserted; where there were dozens of rabbits there may now be none. New habitats are
explored and hunting new prey takes place. Lynx become thin and fail to reproduce, and in a year or two
are scarce or absent over wide areas.
Little by little, first slowly, then more rapidly, the rabbits come back and grow in numbers again.
Lynx recover, too, and become more plentiful. The pattern of the rabbit and lynx cycle continues.
Causal Loop Diagram:

Figure 1. Causal loop of Rabbits and Lynx

Variable Definition

Rabbit Births Number of rabbits being born

Number of Rabbits Current number of rabbit population size

Rabbit Deaths Number of rabbits that die from other reasons than eaten by
 Lynx

Infected Rabbits Number of Rabbits infected by diseases

Food Amount of food available for the Rabbit

Diseases Deadly diseases that can infect rabbits

Number of Rabbits killed by Lynx The amount of rabbits that Lynx eat

Lynx Birth Number of lynx being born

Number of Lynx Current number of lynx population size

Lynx Deaths Number of lynx that die

Number of Mice and Squirrels Number of mice and squirrels that are in the woods

Loop Name +/- Variables Included Operational Definition

Loop 1 + Number of rabbits The more number of rabbits there are, the more rabbits
Infected rabbits that are infected by diseases and the more infected there
Rabbit deaths are, the more deaths.

Loop 2 + Number of rabbits The more rabbit births, the more rabbits there are. The
Rabbit births more rabbits there are, the more rabbits giving birth.

Loop 3 - Number of rabbits The more rabbits there are, the more food for the lynx
Number of rabbits eaten but the more rabbits the lynx eat, the less number of
by lynx rabbits.

Loop 4 + Number of rabbits eaten The more number of rabbits eaten by the lynx, the more
by lynx lynx there will be. The more lynx there are, the more
Number of lynx rabbits that will be eaten by a lynx.

Loop 5 - Number of lynx The more lynx there are, the more lynx who will die.
Lynx deaths The more lynx who die, the less number of lynx there
are.

Loop 6 + Number of lynx The more lynx there are, the more lynx that will give
Lynx births birth. The more lynx given birth to, the more number of
lynx there will be.

Loop 7 - Number of lynx The more mice and squirrels, the more number of lynx
Number of mice and because that’s their other food source. The more the
squirrel number of lynx, the less number of mice and squirrels.
Stock Flow Diagram:

Figure 2. Stock flow Diagram of Rabbits and Lynx

Variables Definition Units

Rabbit birth rate The rate at which rabbits are 1/Year

born annually

Rabbit births The amount of rabbits that are Rabbit

born in a given year

Initial rabbit population The amount of rabbits at the Rabbit

start of the simulation

Rabbit population Amount of rabbits in a given Rabbit

year

Average rabbit life The average amount of years a Year

rabbit gets to live

Rabbit deaths The amount of rabbits that die in Rabbit

a given year

Deaths due to diseases lookup Lookup table for the amount of Dmnl
deaths of rabbits due to diseases

Capacity A soft limit for the amount of Rabbit

rabbits in a population before
negative effects start occuring
 Rabbit ratio Ratio to determine proportion of Dmnl
rabbits that fall within the
capacity

Lynxes eating rabbits The amount of rabbits that are Rabbit/Year

eaten by lynxes in a year

Lynx food requirement The amount of food (in the form Rabbit/Year/Lynx
of rabbits) that lynxes require
yearly

Rate that lynxes eat rabbits Lookup table for the amount of Dmnl
lookup rabbits that are eaten by lynxes

Lynx birth rate The rate at which lynxes are 1/Year

born annually

Lynx birth The amount of lynxes that are Lynx

born in a given year

Lynx population The amount of lynxes at a given Lynx

year

Initial lynx population The amount of lynxes at the start Lynx

of the simulation

Lynx death The amount of lynxes that die in Lynx

a given year

Lynx food availability The amount of food available to Dmnl

lynxes in a given year given
rabbit population

Lynx mortality rate lookup Lookup table for lynx mortality Dmnl
rate in relation to lynx food
availability

Average lynx life The average amount of years a Year

lynx gets to live

The graph of the designated model can be seen below in Figure 3.

 Figure 3. Rabbit population vs. lynx population graph over time

The simulation determines that rabbit population and lynx population values are interconnected,
with higher rabbit populations serving to positively impact lynx populations, and conversely, higher lynx
populations negatively impacting rabbit populations. Given that the rabbit population serves as the only
food source for lynxes in this model, the resulting graph makes sense, as more food available to lynxes
would naturally yield higher birth rates for lynxes. However, it also makes sense that the more lynxes
there are, the more the rate of lynxes consuming rabbits will increase, resulting in a decrease in available
food for lynxes, which in turn reduces lynx birth rates. The graph all in all reflects the ebb and flow of the
relationship between lynxes and rabbits, and shows how interdependent their fates are in relation to one
another. In many ways, they keep each other in check. Rabbits would be able to reproduce up to ungodly
amounts if they did not have lynxes as natural predators. Similarly, lynx survival is so dependent on
rabbit survival, to the extent that to eradicate all rabbits would mean to eradicate all lynxes to similar
effect.

Overall, the experience presented to the researchers in the lynx-rabbits case provided a lot of
learning opportunities in terms of utilizing the program of Vensim. In particular, the experience aided in
learning a lot about the lookup tool available in the program to utilize in order to create changing values
for various situations, as well as how to use the graph as the basis to input specific data. We also learned
the difference of flow to flow rate and stock. We learned the difference of a causal loop and stock flow
diagram, with each set of variables or factors being different.