Population Ecology: Spatial questions and methods to model them

In this second of two lectures 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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