| Lec # | Topics | Readings |
|---|---|---|
| Complexity, Stability, and the Struggle for Existence | ||
| 1 | Predator-prey Models |  Lotka, A. Elements of Mathematical Biology. New York, NY: Dover Publications, Inc. 1925, Reprinted 1957. ISBN: 9780486603469.Volterra, V. "Fluctuations in the Abundance of a Species Considered Mathematically." Nature 118 (1926): 558-560. |
| 2 | Supplemental Information Ecological Experiments | Gause, G. F. "The Struggle for Existence." Baltimore, MD: Williams and Wilkins, 1934a. (Full text ). ———. "Experimental Analysis of Vito Volterra's Mathematical Theory of the Struggle for Existence." Science 79 (1934b): 16-17. |
| 3 | Supplemental Information Niche Theory | Hutchinson, G. E. Concluding Remarks. Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quan Biol 22 (1957): 415-427. ———. "Homage to Santa Rosalia, Or Why Are There So Many Kinds of Animals?" American Naturalist 93 (1959): 254-259. |
| 4 | Stability of Complex Systems | May, R. M. Stability and Complexity in Model Ecosystems . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780691088617. Kerner, E. H. "Why Are There So Many Species?" Bull Math Biol 36 (1974): 477-488. |
| 5 | Supplemental Information Competitive Exclusion | Armstrong, R. A., and R. McGehee. "Competitive Exclusion." American Naturalist 115 (1980): 151-170. |
| 6 | Chaotic Dynamics | Cushing, J. M., et al. "A Chaotic Attractor in Ecology: Theory and Experimental Data." Chaos Solitons and Fractals 12 (2001): 219-234. |
| 7 | Network Theory | Krapivsky, P. L., and S. Redner. "Organization of Growing Random Networks." Cond-mat/0011094, 2000. Strogatz, S. H. "Exploring Complex Networks." Nature 410 (2001): 268-276. |
| Spatial Interactions | ||
| 8 | Population Dispersal | Skellam, J. G. "Random Dispersal in Theoretical Populations." Biometrika 38 (1951): 196-216. |
| 9 | Patchiness | MacArthur, R. H., and E. R. Pianka. "On Optimal Use of a Patchy Environment." American Naturalist 100 (1966): 603-609. |
| 10 | Pattern and Scale | Levin, S. A. "The Problem of Pattern and Scale in Ecology." Ecology 73 (1992): 1943-1967. |
| 11 | Spatial Models and Interacting Particle Systems | Durrett, R. "Stochastic Spatial Models." SIAM Review 41 (1994): 677-718. |
| 12 | Lattice-gas Models | Satulovsky, J. E., and T. Tome. "Stochastic Lattice Gas Model for a Predator-prey System." Phys Rev E 49 (1994): 5073-5079. |
| 13 | Plankton Patchiness | Flierl, G., D. Grunbaum, S. Levin, and D. Olson. "From Individuals to Aggregations: The Interplay Between Behavior and Physics." Journal of Theoretical Biology 196 (1999): 397-454. |
| 14 | Supplemental Information Scaling from Trees to Forests | Plotkin, J. B., et al. "Predicting Species Diversity in Tropical Forests." Proc Natl Acad Sci 97 (2000): 10850-10854. |
| Co-evolution with the Environment | ||
| 15 | Evolution of Biodiversity | Signor, P. W., III. "Real and Apparent Trends in Species Richness Through Time." In Phanerozoic Diversity Patterns. Edited by J. W. Valentine. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1986, pp. 129-150. ISBN: 9780691083742. ———. "The Geologic History of Diversity." Annu Rev Ecol Syst 21 (1990): 509-539. |
| 16 | Supplemental Information Adaptation and Diversification | Lenski, R. E., and M. Travisano. "Dynamics of Adapatation and Diversification: A 10,000-generation Experiment with Bacterial Populations." Proc Natl Acad Sci 91 (1994): 6808-6814. |
| 17 | Artificial Life and Biological Complexity | Adami, C., C. Ofria, and T. C. Collier. "Evolution of Biological Complexity." Proc Natl Acad Sci 97 (2000): 4463-4468. |
| 18 | Cycles | Kauffman, S. "Metabolic Stability and Epigenesis in Randomly Constructed Genetic Nets." Journal of Theoretical Biology 22 (1969): 437-467. |
| Student Presentations | ||
| 19 | Reactivity, Stability, and Plankton (2 Presentations) | |
| 20 | Theory of Productivity-Diversity Relationships | |
| 21 | Evolution of Virulence in Host-Pathogen Systems | |
| 22 | Renormalization Approach to Biological Systems | |
| 23 | Directed Motion in Lotka-Volterra Models | |
| 24 | Supplemental Information "Highly Optimized Tolerance" and Ecology | |
| 25 | Theory of Vegetation Patterns | |
Table of Contents
Study Materials
Readings
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