Chapter 19

Hydrology in ecological models

Outline:

• Goals of and factors in ecological models
• Population dynamics models
  • Historically-driven succession model
  • Lotka-Volterra model
• Individual-based ecology models
  • Gap models (JABOWA and its descendents)
  • Spatially-explicit models (e.g. SORTIE)

Course Reader:

• Pages 274-278 of Begon, M., Harper, J. L., Townsend, C. R. 1996. Ecology, 3rd Edition. Blackwell Science.
• SORTIE- an individual-tree model of the forests of the northeastern United States- be sure to view animations of forest succession under different environmental and ecological regimes.

Advanced Reference:

• Glenn- Lewin, D. C., Peet, R. K., and Veblen, T. T. 1992. Plant Succession: theory and prediction. Chapman and Hall, New York, NY.

Related web links:

• Register of Ecological Models- database of a large number of models including information on where to get them and how they work.
• Ecosystem models
  • CENTURY model
  • The SWARM simulation system
• The VEMAP Project- a large project with the goal of comparing the performance of 6 simluation models of ecosystem dynamics: BIOME2, BIOME-BGC, CENTURY, DOLY, MAPPS, and TEM. The models are run under different climate change scenarios (from 3 global circulation models). The VEMAP web site has links to all of the simulation models respective home websites and also offers the input data, personnel, and some references.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory SERDP ecological modeling research
• Ecological simulation testbed

Video Podcast: Ecological Models

This 44-minute presentation introduces several different approaches for modeling the abundance of populations moving from a pure biotic focus to one that also addresses abiotic factors.

Note that this video podcast was done at dusk, so the background transitions to darkness creating a "Blair Witch Project" effect.

• 640 x 480 (480p) format that balances speed and quality. (664 MB file)
• 1920 x 1280 (HD) format that provides larges size and best quality. (XXX GB file)

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