Course information

Description

The development of theory plays an important role in advancing ecology as a scientific field. This three-unit course is for students at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level. The course will cover classic theoretical topics in population and community ecology, staring from single-species dynamics and gradually build up to multispecies models. Emphasis will be on theoretical concepts and corresponding mathematical approaches.

This course is designed as a two-hour lecture (written on black board) followed by a one-hour complementary hands-on practice module. In the lecture, we will analyze dynamical models and discuss their theoretical implications. In the practice section, we will use a combination interactive applications and numerical simulations to gain more intuition of the dynamics and behavior of different models.

Objective

By the end of the course, students are expected to be familiar with the basic building blocks of ecological models, and would be able to formulate and analyze simple models of their own. The hands-on practice component should allow students to link their ecological intuition with the underlying mathematical model, helping them to better understand the primary literature of theoretical ecology.

Requirement

Students are only expected to have a basic understanding of Calculus (e.g., freshman introductory course) and Ecology. It’s OK if you’re not familiar with calculus as we will provide relevant material for you to review during the first week.

Format

Tuesday 6,7,8 (1:20 pm ~ 4:20 pm) at 共207

Grading

The final grade consists of:

  1. Assignment problem sets (60%)
  2. Midterm exam (15%)
  3. Final exam (15%)
  4. Course participation (10%)

Course materials

We will use a combination of textbooks of theoretical ecology. Textbook chapters and additional reading materials (listed in the course outline) will be provided. (see Syllabus for more details).

Below are the textbook references:

  1. A Primer of Ecology (4th edition). Nicholas Gotelli, 2008.
  2. An Illustrated Guide to Theoretical Ecology. Ted Case, 2000.
  3. A Biologist’s Guide to Mathematical Modeling in Ecology and Evolution. Sarah Otto & Troy Day, 2011.
  4. Mathematical Ecology of Populations and Ecosystems. John Pastor, 2008.
  5. Nonlinear Dynamics and Choas. Steven Strogatz, 2000.

Contacts

Instructor: Po-Ju Ke

  • Office: Life Science Building R635
  • Email:
  • Office hours: by appointment

Teaching assistant: Sun Yi

  • Office: Life Science Building R635
  • Email:
  • Office hours: 14:00 ~ 15:00 on Thursday or by appointment