The Role of Lamprey Sex Ratios in Ecosystem Dynamics: An Analysis Using Lotka-Volterra Models

Abstract

With global ecological changes, studying the sex ratio of lampreys in ecosystems and their impact on the food chain and ecological stability has become a key topic in ecology and environmental science. Lampreys are found mainly in the North Pacific region and are considered to be parasites that have a significant impact on the ecosystem. The sex ratio of lampreys is not as 1:1 as in most species, depending on how quickly they grow during the larval stage. In response to this, this study started with the living habits of lampreys and studied the impact of different years in different watersheds on the sex ratio of lampreys, as well as the relationship between water temperature and catch quantity. Subsequently, the Lotka-Volterra model theory was applied to prove that the sex ratio of lampreys has a greater impact on ecosystems in simpler food chains, but a smaller impact in more complex food chains. This study successfully revealed when the population of lamps can alter its sex ratio, lampreys have a certain impact on the quantity and structure of species in ecosystems.