WILD 6403 – Dynamics of Structured Populations – Spring 2016
Lecture/ Lab/Discussion: Monday and Wednesday 12:00-2:30 QL 304
Duration: 16 March – 3 May
Credits: 2
Instructor
Dr. David N. Koons
Office: NR 242
Phone: 797-8670
e-mail: david.koons@usu.edu
Office Hours: M 9:00 – 10:20
Or by appointment
Teaching Assistant
This course will no longer have a TA
Prerequisites: MATH 1100 (Calculus Techniques) or higher or instructor approval
Suggested Courses: In addition to the prerequisite, it is highly suggested to have had at least an
undergraduate-level coverage of population ecology. WILD 6403 is an intensive course and
much of the material will require careful thought if you are to understand it.
Recommended Texts:
Keyfitz, N. and H. Caswell. 2005. Applied Mathematical Demography, 3rd edition. Springer,
New York. Electronic chapters will be provided Additional Readings:
Reading of additional journal articles and book chapters will be suggested throughout the course.
Course Description:
The focus of conservation and management is often the population, including the conservation of
declining, rare, and endangered species, control of pest species, and management of sustainable
abundance for harvest, viewing, and other anthropogenic desires. Abundance is the primary state
variable in population ecology, but it is often structured across age classes, size classes,
developmental stages, social rank, sex classes, spatial locales, and other phenotypic differences.
These sources of heterogeneity often have strong effects on demographic vital rates that in turn
have consequences on population dynamics. In WILD 6403 we will learn how to develop and
analyze structured population models that account for these important sources of heterogeneity in
demographic performance. Moreover, we will examine how density-dependence, environmental
stochasticity, and demographic stochasticity affect the dynamics of structured populations. We
will additionally learn how to conduct prospective sensitivity analyses, and retrospective
measurements of vital-rate contributions to population dynamics. These perturbation analyses are
extremely useful for guiding conservation and management actions/policies; often in the form of
population viability analyses. Use of demographic models for studying life history evolution will
also be covered. In addition to ecological and evolutionary concepts, students will be introduced
to mathematical techniques and computer software that will allow them to examine population
dynamics on their own as they embark on their careers. After completing the course, students
should be better prepared to judge the quality of results and conclusions of many population and
evolutionary ecology studies. The concepts, theories, and methods learned in this class will also
help students better understand aspects of community and ecosystem biology.
Computer Sessions:
For the first time in this course, we will mix computer lab sessions with the lecture to make the
course more interactive, much like a professional workshop. This will help solidify the topics
presented during lectures. We will use R as the primary console for conducting all analyses.
Computer session materials will be posted on the Canvas site, which will also help you analyze
your own data, and conduct modeling exercises suitable for publication; an end goal for most of
your degrees.
The meeting room is equipped with PCs that already have the necessary R software installed.
You are also welcome to use your own personal laptop computer. The recommended software is
free!
Grading:
There will be no exams. Instead, you will be graded based on participation in
lecture/lab/discussion sessions (20%), and a final project (80%). Grades will be assigned as
follows: 100 – 90% = A, 89.99 – 87 % = B+, 86.99 – 83% = B, 82.99 – 80 % = B-, 79.99 – 77 %
= C+, 76.99 – 73% = C, 72.99 –70 % = C-, 69.99 – 60 % = D, Below 60% = F. In the event of an
unavoidable conflict with class attendance, make every attempt to notify me prior to class
meetings.
Term Project:
Students will be required to develop a term project in which they analyze, synthesize, and
present results using the scientific method, as well as skills and concepts learned in class. Try to
choose a question and methodological tool related to your own area of research, but I must
approve the subject. Grading of the term project will be based on a written report prepared
according to the style of a peer-reviewed journal selected by the student. The report must include
introductory material that synthesizes the pertinent literature, a description of the methods used
to collect the data, description of the quantitative techniques used in the analysis, presentation of
results, and discussion of the results in reference to the research objectives and/or hypotheses.
Adhering to the elements of scientific writing will be necessary in order to convey your project
effectively. Although not required, students are encouraged to eventually prepare manuscripts on
the subject material (some course projects have evolved into some cool products, but I do not
take part in these efforts unless substantial collaboration evolves after the class).
If you are taking 2 or more classes from the modular course series (6401, 6402, 6403) within a
single semester, you are responsible for completing just 1 course project that bridges concepts
from these courses (10-15 double-spaced pages including lit. cited, tables, and figures). Students
taking just 1 course from the series in a given semester must complete a course project that
pertains to the concepts from that specific course (5-8 double-spaced pages including lit. cited,
tables, and figures).
Due date: Regardless of the course(s) you enrolled in within a given semester (6401, 6402, 6403,
or several), project reports will be due by 5:00 p.m. on May 3rd.
Accommodations for disabilities:
Students with physical, sensory, emotional or medical impairments may be eligible for
reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
All accommodations are coordinated through the Disabilities Resource Center (DRC) in Room
101 of the University Inn, 797-2444 voice, 797-0740 TTY, or toll free at 1-800-259-2966. Please
contact the DRC as early in the semester as possible. Alternate format materials (Braille, large
print or digital) are available with advance notice.
Tentative Schedule of Lectures with Computer Sessions
The schedule will be kept flexible in order to ensure adequate coverage of each topic. Lecture
and lab materials/notes will be posted on the Canvas site.
Date
Lecture Topic
16 Mar
From basic to structured population models
21 Mar
Matrix projection models
23 Mar
Perturbation analysis: sensitivity, elasticity, LTRE
28 Mar
Life history evolution & elasticities
30 Mar
Evolution & elasticities continued; Demographic & environmental stochasticity
4 Apr
Demographic & environmental stochasticity continued
6 Apr
Density-dependent matrix models in ecology, evolution & management; Spatial
invasion speed
11 Apr
TBD
13 Apr
Integral projection models
18 Apr
Source-Sink & multi-entity matrix models
20 Apr
TBD
25 Apr
work on course projects
27 Apr
work on course projects
3 May
course projects due at 5:00 p.m.
Associated Schedule of Suggested Readings
Date
16 Mar
21 Mar
23 Mar
28 Mar
30 Mar
4 Apr
6 Apr
Lecture Topic
Keyfitz & Caswell ch. 1
Keyfitz & Caswell ch. 3 (ch. 7 & 9 for advanced interests), Koons et al. 2006
Keyfitz & Caswell ch. 13, Dobson and Oli 2001
Heppell et al. 2000, Sæther and Bakke 2000, Reznick et al. 2002, Oli and Dobson
2003, Stahl and Oli 2006, Franco and Silvertown 2004, Koons et al. 2007, Stott et al.
2010, Adler et al. 2014
Tuljapurkar et al. 2003, Boyce et al. 2006, Gotelli and Ellison 2006, Koons et al.
2009, Sæther et al. 2013
Catch up on optional readings
Metz et al. 1992, Jensen 2000, Siepelski and McPeek 2010, Kot et al. 1996, Neubert
and Caswell 2000
11 Apr
13 Apr
18 Apr
20 Apr
TBD
Easterling et al. 2000, Ellner and Rees 2006, Dalgleish et al. 2011, Metcalf et al.
2013, Merow et al. 2014
van Horne 1983, Wootton and Bell 1992, Pascarella and Horvitz 1998, Schlaepfer et
al. 2002, Adler et al. 2012, Scott et al. 2013
TBD