Comparison of weed spread models

Abstract

Numerous models of weed spread and growth exist in ecology. We compare four common models: reaction diffusion, integro-difference, ‘scatter’ model, and an ‘occupation’ model. We discuss their similar- ities, strengths and limitations. After verifying the equivalence of the integro-difference model, with a Gaussian kernel, against the reaction diffusion model, we show how to equate parameters of the different models. We also investigate the effect of the occupation model pa- rameters on spread behaviour.