ISBN : 9780198758372
The management and conservation of natural populations relies heavily on concepts and results generated from models of population dynamics, and yet this is the first book to present a unified and coherent explanation of the underlying theory. This novel text begins with a consideration of what makes a good state variable, progressing from the simplest models (those with a single variable such as abundance or biomass) to more complex models with the multiple key variables of population (including age, size, and life history stage) and spatial structure. Throughout the book, attention is paid to concepts such as population variability, population stability, population viability/persistence, and harvest yield. Subsequent chapters address specific applications to conservation such as recovery planning for species at risk, fishery management, and the spatial management of marine resources.
1 Philosophical approach to population modeling
2 Simple population models
3 Linear, age-structured models and their long-term dynamics
4 Age-structured models: short-term transient dynamics
5 Size-structured models
6 Stage-structured models
7 Age-structured models with density-dependent recruitment
8 Age-structured models in a random environment
9 Spatial population dynamics
10 Applications to conservation biology
11 Population models in marine conservation
12 Thinking about populations