If the predator population is negligible, are you sure that Lotka-Volterra is the best way to go, since it is meant to explicitly model competition and/or predator-prey dynamics?

If you are trying to model population dynamics in a system where there is negligible impact from predators (or competitors), perhaps just a basic Leslie Matrix approach would be more appropriate.

However, assuming these ungulates are relatively long-lived, do you have a lot of historical data on the system? If you are just starting to collect demography data on a long-lived species, especially ones who reproduce repeatedly, year after year, it could take you a lifetime to collect enough data to really have an appreciable understanding of their population dynamics.

Maybe this paper can come in handy for this case

http://www.cof.orst.edu/leopold/class-reading/Lima%201998.pdf

Regards

If the predator population is negligible, are you sure that Lotka-Volterra is the best way to go, since it is meant to explicitly model competition and/or predator-prey dynamics?

If you are trying to model population dynamics in a system where there is negligible impact from predators (or competitors), perhaps just a basic Leslie Matrix approach would be more appropriate.

However, assuming these ungulates are relatively long-lived, do you have a lot of historical data on the system? If you are just starting to collect demography data on a long-lived species, especially ones who reproduce repeatedly, year after year, it could take you a lifetime to collect enough data to really have an appreciable understanding of their population dynamics.

I agree with Kevin that about the use of a Lotka-Volterra model for a predator-prey system that is really just a prey system (i.e. the predators are negligible.) A matrix model would probably be the simplest way to go, though the modern usage of matrix models (such as those used by Tim Coulson and others) are far from simple. Perhaps you could clarify why you want to use Lotka-Volterra?

Several studies have used the Lotka-Voltera Model. I would suggest taking a look at the study conducted by G.F. Gausse on two species of paramecium (P.caudatum and P.aurelia) and how the growth of one influenced the growth of the other. He used the Lotka-Voltera model to show the effects of interspecific and intraspecific competition on the population growth of both species.The Lotka- Voltera Model in general can predict whether two species can co-exist in an ecosystem or not. The model is based on the logistic model for population growth but it includes the effect of interspecific competition in each species. The said model can also be used to explain relationships between organisms and how each one affects the other.