Ebook: A Course in Mathematical and Statistical Ecology

As the world enters the new millennium, mankind faces a series ofnew prob­ lems, many of them created by man himself. These include overpopulation, air and water pollution, global warming, accumulation of greenhouse gases, darnage to the ozone layer and loss of biodiversity. Perhaps these problems were around even earlier in an incipient stage, but they have now assumed global proportions and are uppermost in the minds of all. A natural con­ sequence is enhanced interest in sciences connected with these problems. Ecology is a field that is immensely useful in understanding many of them. In the seventies, nature conservation became a concern of wide sections of society, well beyond the small group of expert ecologists. Species extinc­ tion and depletion of biological resources were seen as major threats to human welfare. It was therefore natural for scientists from different disci­ plines to seek reasons behind these developments. We were no exceptions and when opportunity to interact with ecologists as statistreal consultants came, we found ourselves reading more and more of ecology and evolution­ ary biology. Several years ago we proposed starting of an elective one semester course on statistical ecology for graduate students of statistics of Pune University.

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This book touches upon all major areas in the field of ecology and covers a wide range of topics. Beginning with classical mathematical models for population dynamics and their use in population management and harvesting, it covers the traditional as well as the most recent nonstandard methods of abundance estimation. The recent interest in the study of biodiversity is discussed at length. The last chapter on models for animal and plant behaviour is perhaps the first attempt to put the two together.
Many exercises, theoretical as well as data analytical, which reflect authors' interaction with practicing field ecologists, make the book very useful for class room teaching and private study.
Audience: This volume is intended as a text book for a one semester course for advanced undergraduate and graduate classes in statistics, mathematics of biology, or quantitative ecology.

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This book touches upon all major areas in the field of ecology and covers a wide range of topics. Beginning with classical mathematical models for population dynamics and their use in population management and harvesting, it covers the traditional as well as the most recent nonstandard methods of abundance estimation. The recent interest in the study of biodiversity is discussed at length. The last chapter on models for animal and plant behaviour is perhaps the first attempt to put the two together.
Many exercises, theoretical as well as data analytical, which reflect authors' interaction with practicing field ecologists, make the book very useful for class room teaching and private study.
Audience: This volume is intended as a text book for a one semester course for advanced undergraduate and graduate classes in statistics, mathematics of biology, or quantitative ecology.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xi
Introduction....Pages 1-7
Single Species Populations....Pages 9-61
Populations of Two Interacting Species....Pages 63-93
Estimation of Abundance....Pages 95-152
Biodiversity....Pages 153-184
Harvesting Biological Populations....Pages 185-209
Optimal Decision Models in Animal Behavior Systems....Pages 211-265
Back Matter....Pages 266-288

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This book touches upon all major areas in the field of ecology and covers a wide range of topics. Beginning with classical mathematical models for population dynamics and their use in population management and harvesting, it covers the traditional as well as the most recent nonstandard methods of abundance estimation. The recent interest in the study of biodiversity is discussed at length. The last chapter on models for animal and plant behaviour is perhaps the first attempt to put the two together.
Many exercises, theoretical as well as data analytical, which reflect authors' interaction with practicing field ecologists, make the book very useful for class room teaching and private study.
Audience: This volume is intended as a text book for a one semester course for advanced undergraduate and graduate classes in statistics, mathematics of biology, or quantitative ecology.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xi
Introduction....Pages 1-7
Single Species Populations....Pages 9-61
Populations of Two Interacting Species....Pages 63-93
Estimation of Abundance....Pages 95-152
Biodiversity....Pages 153-184
Harvesting Biological Populations....Pages 185-209
Optimal Decision Models in Animal Behavior Systems....Pages 211-265
Back Matter....Pages 266-288
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