Cellular automata come in different shapes and varieties. The simplest CA is one-dimensional, with cells on a straight line, where each cell can have only two possible states (such as high/low or black/white). However, other shapes are also possible.

We first consider the situation in which one species, called the prey, has an ample food supply and the second species, called the predators, feeds on the prey. Examples of prey and predators include rabbits and wolves in an isolated forest, food fish and sharks, aphids and ladybugs, and bacteria and amoebas.

The model represents an interaction between one prey and two predator populations. The analysis shows that there are four equilibrium points, namely the extinction of predator populations point, the extinction of the first predator population point, the extinction of the second predator and the interior point.

The Lotka–Volterra model assumes that the prey consumption rate by a predator is directly proportional to the prey abundance. This means that predator feeding is limited only by the amount of prey in the environment.