Numerical Approach to the Dynamics of Killer Whale Predation on Steller Sea Lions

• Main Authors: Mortenson, Brett, Maughan, David, Black, Em
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 2018
• Subjects: Killer Whale; Alaska; Aleutian Islands; Killer whale
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/researchweek/ResearchWeek2018/All2018/218; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1805&context=researchweek

Stellar sea lion populations around the Aleutian islands and southeast Alaska has been in decline over the past 50 years, yet it is unkown what factors may affect this decline. Past research has created simulations to model the ecosystem around these regions that contains an exhaustive list of inhabiting animals. We approach this problem by analyzing the interaction between transient killer whales and stellar sea lions, creating a dynamical system that can be solved analytically. Our results show that transient killer whales have a large effect on sea lion population, and the persistence of transient killer whale populations will lead to sea lion extinction in the area.