Description
Book SynopsisThe development of computer simulation models is an important growth area in both pure and applied ecology. The opportunity that mathematical models provide to integrate the components of an ecosystem, results in the ability to make quantitative predictions about the future behaviour of that system, or of elements within it. This means that they are powerful tools with wide applications and enormous potential for increasing our understanding of natural systems and our ability to use them in a sustainable way. This book is, almost uniquely, a complete account of one such model, the Hurley Pasture Model, a dynamic, deterministic, mechanistic simulation model for grassland, which has been developed by the author over some twenty years, in collaboration with scientists at several centres. Firstly, the rationale and theoretical elements of this type of model are described. An overview of the Hurley grassland simulator and the derivation and construction of its plant, animal, soil and litter
Table of Contents1: Dynamic Models 2: Overview of the Pasture Model 3: Plant Submodel 4: Animal Submodel 5: Soil and Litter Submodel 6: Water Submodel 7: Environment and Management 8: Dynamic Simulations 9: Steady-state Simulations 10: The ACSL Program 11: Index
