Wikipedia is great for math and physics. Almost everyone I know uses it for engineering. and I read through that part to make sure it was accurate. A scientific paper would be debating additional variables or constants added into an equation like for over fishing.
BTW a different type of population model is used for predator/prey and looks really pretty.
the equations that are used in this video are as simple as
dx/dt = -ax + bxy dy/dt = cx - dxy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN2H16869Vo
Wow! Wikipedia is the scourge of academia because it is not peer reviewed and can be manipulated for political ends. It is not academic. We flunk our students for using Wikipedia as a major source. I hope those engineers aren't designing anything I use!
Historically, on Wall Street, investments in debt and equity were made based on human instinct and judgment of human behavior (quality and success of management, etc.) Then, Microsoft perfected electronic spreadsheets. Then Quants happened and then, in 2007, Wall Street and the global financial system melted down because Quants can make spreadsheets say anything they want them to say. And.... Swiss bankers, among others, want so badly to believe, that, well, they believe. Then, $15 trillion plus in net worth evaporates because they looked at "simple formulas" instead of using their heads. Really, how can a Swiss banker EVER think an illegal alien in Southern California with no job can afford a $1 million mortgage? The "simple formula" said risk had been sliced and diced and sold off and made to disappear. Then, wham... all of the smart Quants got wiped out.
My point is, formulas don't mean diddly...