NRES 470 - Applied Population Ecology

(3 units)

This class will explore how concepts of population ecology can be used to inform the conservation and management of natural populations and ecosystems.

Prerequisite(s): BIOL 314 or NRES 217; NRES 310.

Grading Basis: Graded
Units of Lecture: 2
Units of Laboratory/Studio: 1
Offered: Every Spring

Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. identify the major classes of models used by ecologists (e.g., statistical vs mechanistic, quantitative vs heuristic, stochastic vs deterministic) and explain how and why ecologists use these models.
2. apply tools such as population viability analysis (PVA), site-occupancy models, and metapopulation models to address the conservation and management of natural populations.
3. perform basic statistics, data visualization, simulation modeling and model validation with Excel and the statistical computing language “R”.
4. critically evaluate the strength of inferences drawn from ecological simulation models using tools such as cross-validation and sensitivity analysis.
5. explain how species interactions can influence predictions of species range shifts and the biodiversity response to global change, and formulate strategies for accounting for species interactions in ecological models.
6. communicate original research in applied population and community ecology via a professional oral presentation.

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