Ecological Modeling

This module will focus on ecological modeling. More info soon...

Date

Topic

Readings, HW and things to think about

Tuesday November 5th

The use and abuse of mathematical models in ecology

  • Logistic growth revisited

Link to slides

OPTIONAL Readings for today: Kokko Ch.1 , Jackson et al. 2000,

HW due next time: Constant quota fishing model

Tuesday November 12th

Coupling human and natural systems: the case of open access exploitation

  • Insights from graphing
  • Identifying and critiquing model assumptions

Link to slides

None

Thursday November 14th

From woolly idea to mechanism: the Anthropogenic Allee Effect

  • Turn your wooly idea into a question
  • Build a conceptual model

Link to slides

Reading for today:  Courchamp et al. 2006 & Hall et al. 2008

HW for next time: Brainstorm your conceptual model individually (link to assignment)

Tuesday, November 19th

Insights from simple models: host parasite interactions and the basic reproductive
number

  • Controlling outbreaks

Slides from today

Reading for today: None

HW for next class:

  1. Individual work: Using the disease models from today, how does changing p,c, N and γ change R0? For each of p, c, N and γ, describe a disease control intervention that could reduce R0 below 1 (e.g. what kind of control methods could reduce p?).
  2. Group work: See paper assignments here.

Thursday November 21st

Models as organizational tools for navigating complex interactions

  • Group projects: development and preliminary analysis of your models.

Reading for Today: See homework from day before

HW: Work on group project

November 26-28th

No class: Thanksgiving Break

None

Tuesday, December 3rd

  • Class presentation on modeling projects
  • Reflections on ecological modeling

None