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In this lecture on population ecology, Dr. Bill Fagan addresses key spatial questions in population ecology and presents several methodological approaches to address spatial issues. He notes the range of ways that space is conceptualized and represented in population ecology, from individual geographic coordinates, to patch models, to sets of patches and gradients. He uses the example of metapopulation studies to discuss population dynamics among several patches of populations and links this approach to human conservation concerns about invasive species and extinction. He then describes integrodifference equations as one method for modeling spatial dynamics among populations and their relationships across the landscape. He introduces the concept of a dispersal kernel as a measurement of the dispersal distance and rate of individuals in a population and resources across the landscape.
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About the Presenters
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William F. Fagan
Director of Research InnovationsDr. William (Bill) Fagan was part of the initial leadership team at SESYNC, helping to develop the ideas behind SESYNC, obtain National Science Foundation funding, and design the Center’s operational procedures. Bill served as Director for Research Innovation at SESYNC for two years, and in that role, he identified opportunities for synthesis research and recruited internationally respected scholars to conduct group research at the center. He also played a large role in coordinating interactions between SESYNC and its international partners, including the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental...
Image
William F. Fagan
Director of Research InnovationsDr. William (Bill) Fagan was part of the initial leadership team at SESYNC, helping to develop the ideas behind SESYNC, obtain National Science Foundation funding, and design the Center’s operational procedures. Bill served as Director for Research Innovation at SESYNC for two years, and in that role, he identified opportunities for synthesis research and recruited internationally respected scholars to conduct group research at the center. He also played a large role in coordinating interactions between SESYNC and its international partners, including the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDIV) in Germany. Bill is a Distinguished University Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Maryland. Over the years, he has worked on a diverse array of topics in theoretical ecology, conservation biology, and spatial ecology. He received his PhD from the University of Washington in Zoology in 1996.
External Links:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=lApw3oUAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&pagesize=100 -
Supporting Materials
Reading list:
Hastings, A., Kim Cuddington, Kendi F. Davies, Christopher J. Dugaw, Amy Freestone, Susan Harrison, Matthew Holland, John Lambrinos, Urmila Malvadkar, Brett A. Melbourne, Kara Moore, Caz Taylor, and Diane Thomson. “The spatial spread of invasions: New developments in theory and evidence.” Ecology Letters 8(1) (2005): 91–101. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00687.x
Presentation slides:
DocumentFagan – Population Ecology – Spatial.pdf (1.39 MB)