ontogeneticLinksPreference

Overview

The file ontogeneticLinksPreference.csv defines the preference relationships between species (both animals and resources) within the ecosystem model.

Each entry specifies how strongly a given species prefers to interact with another, typically in the context of feeding, resource consumption, or other ecological interactions.

These preference values are used throughout the simulation to determine:

  • Predator–prey preference intensity.

  • Consumer–resource affinity.

  • Symbiotic, competitive, or facilitative interactions between animal species.

  • Ontogenetic changes in feeding preferences across life stages (if applicable in the model).

File Format

The file is a comma‐separated values (CSV) table.

  • Rows (first column): represent the prey or resource species.

  • Columns (first row): represent the predators or consumers.

  • Cells: contain numerical values indicating the preference strength of the predator (column) for the prey/resource (row).

A higher value indicates a stronger preference. Values may be zero when no ecological interaction exists.

Example Structure

Although the actual file content depends on the ecosystem configuration, the structure is always:

, PredatorA, PredatorB, PredatorC
Prey1, 0.8, 0.1, 0.0
Prey2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.2
Prey3, 0.0, 0.7, 0.4

Interpretation Example

In the snippet above:

  • PredatorA has a high preference (0.8) for Prey1.

  • PredatorB prefers Prey3 the most (0.7).

  • PredatorC ignores Prey1 (0.0).