Description
Book SynopsisThe management and conservation of natural populations relies heavily on concepts and results generated from models of population dynamics. 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 other key variables of population structure (including age, size, life history stage, and space). Throughout the book, attention is paid to concepts such as population variability, population stability, population viability/persistence, and harvest yield. Later chapters address specific applications to conservation such as recovery planning for species at risk, fishery management, and the spatial management of marine resources. Population Dynamics for Conservation is suitable for graduate-level students. It will also be valuable to academic and appl
Trade ReviewThis primer on population dynamics theory and its applications introduce the reader to the mathematical tools necessary to construct analytical models of plant and animal population dynamics ... The book will be useful as either a textbook for students or as a reference for experienced researchers. * Conservation Biology *
Table of Contents1: 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
