According to Georgia Institute of Technology, ^[1] prey and predator roles have cycles where the prey population may increase, thereby causing the predator population to increase as well. But sometimes the predator population overwhelms the prey to the point of devastating the prey population, resulting in a devastation of the predator population as well. Some studies say that, due to the fact that both species are evolving simultaneously, the roles of each may become reversed to the point that prey begin to eat the predators.

Using data collected regarding mink-muskrat, gyrfalcon-rock ptarmigan, and phage-Vibrio cholerea relationships, research was done to determine if a theory proposed by researchers at GIT could explain how and why this occurs.

Joshua Weitz, a professor at Georgia Tech’s School of Biology, stated that particular phenotypes can show up as dominant depending upon changes in the environment around them. When both predator and prey are evolving at the same time, and the predator population has drastic effects on prey, the prey may realize they have the ability to overcome smaller numbers of predators and evolve to a predator-type role.

Knowing how specific species interact with each other in this way, scientists are now able to study the impact of this on ecosystems better than they could when just studying numbers alone. Now they are able to determine why broad trends happen in ecological systems.^[1]

A model called the Lotka-Volterra model after its founders, Alfred J. Lotka and Vito Volterra, focuses on studies of ecology and demographics while attempting to explain why certain plant and animal interactions occur the way they do. Although created in the early 1900s, this model has proven to be flexible and adaptable, allowing it to continue being used today.

A study conducted by Royal Society Open Science ^[2] worked to explain the reasons for the interactions between predator and prey as described in a literary work^[3] by Amos Barkai and Christopher McQuaid.

Algebraic equations and graphs were used to analyze data to reenact predator-prey reversal roles. The conclusion of this experiment showed that roles between species can reverse when the usual prey populations decrease to significantly low levels, causing the predators to decrease in population size also. Once this occurs, prey then begin to build up their population numbers and as they do, they prey on their original predators.

Understanding how ecosystems operate and the interactions that take place between individual species within ecosystems is predicted to be of use when managing natural resources and wildlife within those ecosystems. According to this study^[2], maintainable bionetworks can be established through more accurate anticipation of the reactions of species.