ABSTRACT. This article deals with a possibility to identify parameters of a selected growth model of two populations coupled by a predator-prey interaction from a set of observed data. It starts with a brief description of the Gause-type model and of a property (interior equilibrium stability) important from a point of view of an application. Subsequently, data for four forms of the trophic function are simulated and then, a noise was added to the simulated data such that the coefficients of variation equal to 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4. For each data set, the parameters are estimated using a procedure implemented in the R-language package and the coordinates of equilibrium are computed. Then we can evaluate the effect of changing variation to the values of parameters and (un)stability of the equilibrium.

Predator-prey models lie in a theoretical background of integrated plant protection. The crucial question is whether one is able to identify parameters of such a model on a base of field data. The contribution proposes a method of parameter identification for Gause-type predator-prey model. The method is tested on simulated data, in particular, the problem of distinguishing between distinct types of predator functional response (Ivlev and Holling type ones) and of prey growth rate (with limited and unlimited carrying capacity) is tested. Obtained results show that data do not allow one to find such subtilities of the model. Nevertheless, the proposed method is reliable enough for investigation of the system equilibrium and its stability.