HC 399: Introduction to Mathematical Ecology
Winter 2008
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Mathematical methods are increasingly becoming important in the study of
ecological systems. This course will introduce mathematical models for
applications in ecology and will be accessible for students who have
completed first-year courses in differential and integral calculus (e.g.
Math 251 and 252 or the equivalent).
We will study how differential
and difference equations are used to model various ecological phenomenon including
population growth, spread of infectious diseases, habitat fragmentation,
competition between species and predator prey relationships,
among others. We will also consider how uncertainty about different aspects
of the process to be modeled can be incorporated into the model. The analysis of these
models provides insights into the behavior of different phenomenon and
suggests various strategies for conservation. We will also consider the
numerical solution of different models and I will demonstrate different
examples using the software MATLAB.
Students will have the opportunity
to meet and hear from OSU faculty researchers in mathematical ecology,
including members of the Ecosystems Informatics (EI) strategic initiative at
OSU, who will introduce their research and present possibilities for
further student involvement. There will be topical lectures as well as
discussion of a pertinent paper each week.