About this book
Model development is of vital importance for understanding and management of ecological processes. Identifying the complex relationships between ecological patterns and processes is a crucial task. Ecological modelling-both qualitatively and quantitatively-plays a vital role in analysing ecological phenomena and for ecological theory. This textbook provides a unique overview of modelling approaches. Representing the state-of-the-art in modern ecology, it shows how to construct and work with various different model types. It introduces the background of each approach and its application in ecology. Differential equations, matrix approaches, individual-based models and many other relevant modelling techniques are explained and demonstrated with their use. The authors provide links to software tools and course materials.
Contents
Contents
Part I Introduction
1 Backgrounds and Scope of Ecological Modelling: Between Intellectual Adventure and Scientific Routine
2 What Are the General Conditions Under Which Ecological Models Can be Applied?
3 Historical Background of Ecological Modelling and Its Importance for Modern Ecology
Part II Modelling Techniques and Approaches
4 System Analysis and Context Assessment
5 Steady State Models of Ecological Systems: EcoPath Approach to Mass-Balanced System Descriptions
6 Ordinary Differential Equations
7 Partial Differential Equations
8 Cellular Automata in Ecological Modelling
9 Leslie Matrices
10 Modelling Ecological Processes with Fuzzy Logic Approaches
11 Grammar-Based Models and Fractals
12 Individual-Based Models
13 Modelling Species' Distributions
14 Decision Trees in Ecological Modelling
Part III Application Fields, Case Studies and Examples
15 Neutral Models and the Analysis of Landscape Structure
16 Stage-Structured Integro-Differential Models: Application to Invasion Ecology
17 Modelling Resilience and Phase Shifts in Coral Reefs: Application of Different Modelling Approaches
18 Trophic Cascades and Food Web Stability in Fish Communities of the Everglades
19 Lake Glumsoz Case Study on Modelling a Small Danish Lake
20 Biophysical Models: An Evolving Tool in Marine Ecological Research
21 Modelling the Everglades Ecosystem
22 Model Integration: Application in Ecology and for Management
Part IV Integrative Approaches in Ecological Modeling
23 How Valid Are Model Results? Assumptions, Validity Range and Documentation
24 Perspectives in Ecological Modelling
Glossary
References
Index
Customer Reviews
Biography
Editors: Fred Jopp (University of Miami, USA) Hauke Reuter (Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen, Germany) Broder Breckling (University of Bremen, Germany) Authors: Esther M. Borell (The Interuniversity Institute (IUI) for Marine Sciences, Eilat, Israel) Broder Breckling (University of Bremen, Germany) Donald L DeAngelis (University of Miami, USA) Marko Debeljak (Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia) Carsten F. Dormann (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germany) Saso Dzeroski (Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia) Alejandro Gallego (Marine Scotland, Aberdeen, UK) Robert H. Gardner (University of Maryland, Frostburg, USA) Aurelie Garnier (Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Nantes, France) Fred Jopp (University of Miami, USA) Sven Erik Jorgensen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark) Dietmar Kraft (University of Oldenburg, Germany) Andreas Kubicek (Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen, Germany) Winfried Kurth (University of Gottingen, Germany) Christoph Lange (Fraunhofer MEVIS, Bremen, Germany) Dirk Lanwert (University of Gottingen, Germany) Jane Lecomte (Universite Paris-Sud 11, France) Horst Malchow (University of Osnabruck, Germany) Agnese Marchini (University of Pavia, Italy) Yiannis G Matsinos (University of the Aegean, Grecce) Felix Muller (University of Kiel, Germany) Soren Nors Nielsen (Copenhagen, Denmark) Guy Pe'er (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig, Germny) Hauke Reuter (Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen, Germany) Michael Sieber (University of Osnabruck, Germany) Dagmar Sondgerath (TU Braunschweig, Germany) Marc Taylor (Alfred Wegener Institute, Bremerhaven, Germany) Joel C. Trexler (Florida International University, Miami, USA) Gerd Weigmann (FU Berlin, Germany) Matthias Wolff (Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Bremen, Germany)