Frederic Guichard
BIOL 308: Ecological Dynamics Gregor Fussmann (Stewart Biology W6/4) Frederic Guichard (Stewart Biology W3/3) Goal: At the end of the course, students should be familiar with the general concepts and properties of dynamical systems (e.g. stability and variability) and how they apply to ecology. Students should acquire the mathematical and computational skills to analyze ecological dynamical systems. Students should learn to recognize the parallels between empirical descriptions and mathematical formulations of natural systems. Students should understand the major processes (e.g. competition, predator-prey) driving the dynamics of various natural ecosystems (aquatic, terrestrial).
Evaluation: Midterm exam (30%), Final exam (45%), Lab reports (Total: 25%; Lab 1: 4%, Lab 2-4: 7% each). Lab attendance is mandatory. Exams will have multiple choice questions, problems and short development questions. Final exam will not be comprehensive. Book: Mittelbach, Gary G. (2012) Community Ecology. Sinauer, Sunderland. 400 pages. ISBN 978-0-87893-509-3 (paperbound).
Lab sections: Simulations using MATLAB (2 labs): The general goal is that students will be able to execute and understand dynamic ecological models in the programming language MATLAB. Students should be able to execute and modify the MATLAB code in order to explore the behaviour of models. Simulations using SimUText (2 labs): Students will explore the dynamical aspects of key ecological concepts (resource limitation, competitive exclusion, top-down control, key stone predation) in the context of an interactive teaching software program. Labs will also have a Tutorial section to practice problem solving as tested in the exams. Students will form teams of 3 people and will answer specific research questions and present their results in a joint, written lab report. Reports will be due one week after the lab. Reports will be submitted as hardcopies to the TAs and there will be a penalty for late submission (10%/day). Lab attendance is mandatory. Reports handed in by students who missed part of or the entire Lab section for which they signed up without excuse will be marked as 0%. The mark of team members who did attend the Lab shall not be affected; their report will be marked as usual. If the cause for missing a Lab section is foreseeable, the course coordinator must be informed in advance. Permission to miss a Lab section will only be granted for the most serious reasons (illness etc.) and proof will be requested.
Special announcements: 1) In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University’s control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change. 2) In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded. 3) McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see www.mcgill.ca/integrity for more information). 4) Instructors who may adopt the use of text-matching software to verify the originality of students’ written course work must register for use of the software with Teaching Technology Services ([email protected] ) and must inform their students before the drop/add deadline, in writing, of the use of text-matching software in a course. RESOURCE DOCUMENT www.mcgill.ca/files/students/Text-Matching-Policy-on-English.pdf
Instructor Information: Gregor Fussmann (Course coordinator) [email protected] Office: W6/4 Phone: 398-1370 Biography: Dr. Fussmann studies eco-evolutionary dynamics of interacting populations. He works with mathematical models as well as with live organisms in aquatic microcosms and in the field. Dr. Fussmann joined the faculty at McGill in 2004.
Frederic Guichard [email protected] Office: W3/3 Phone: 398-6464 Biography: Dr Guichard's research focuses on problems of scales and on spatial dynamics of ecological communities. His research involves mathematical modeling, field experiments and remote sensing in marine ecosystems He develops theories explaining large-scale ecological dynamics from localized interactions between organisms, which are then applied to marine reserve design. Dr. Guichard joined the faculty at McGill in 2002.
List of lectures (with specific goals and readings) and computer labs: Date Sept. 04, Tue Sept. 06, Thu Sept. 11, Tue
Topic Professor No lecture. Election Day! LESSON 01:Introduction: Dynamical systems Fussmann/Guichard LESSON 02: Population growth Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Density-independent growth: geometric and exponential growth. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 65-68. Sept. 13, Thu LESSON 03: Growth of structured populations I Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Age- and stage-structure, life tables and simple Leslie matrices. READINGS: SimUText Chapter “Life History” Sept. 18, Tue LESSON 04: Growth of structured populations II; Fussmann Regulation of population growth I OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Complex Leslie matrices; eigenvector and eigenvalue. Continuous time logistic model, carrying capacity. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 68-81. Sept. 18, 20, Lab 1: Matlab tutorial. Population growth: Discrete vs. TAs/Fussmann/ 21 continuous time models Guichard Sept. 20, Thu LESSON 05: Regulation of population growth II, Time Fussmann delays and discrete time dynamics OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Stability analysis of the continuous logistic equation. Time delays and the discrete time logistic equation; population cycles and fluctuations in single-species populations. READINGS: NA Guichard Sept. 25, Tue LESSON 06: Spatial dynamics and dispersal limitation. Metapopulation models OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Understand how limited movement of individuals and of their propagules can influence the stability and abundance of populations. Understand the main metapopulation models. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 251-266. Sept. 27, Thu LESSON 07: Species interactions: Introductions. Guichard Competition I: Lotka-Volterra dynamics OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Analyse and predict conditions for coexistence of 2 species competing for a single resource. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 1-10; p. 125-130. Guichard Oct. 02, Tue LESSON 08: Competition II: Mechanisms of coexistence OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Models explaining coexistence of species in natural systems. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 132-142; p. 145-147. Oct. 04, Thu LESSON 09: Coexistence in natural systems Guichard
Oct. 09, 11, 12 Oct. 09, Tue
Oct. 11, Thu Oct. 16, Tue Oct. 18, Thu
Oct. 23, Tue
Oct. 23, 25, 26 Oct. 25, Thu Oct. 30, Tue
Nov. 01, Thu
Nov. 06, Tue
OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Experimental results explaining coexistence of species in natural systems. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 149-173. Lab 2: Competition. Lotka-Volterra Tilman’s model. TAs/Guichard/Fussm Coexistence under fluctuating environment ann LESSON 10: Predator-prey dynamics I: Functional responses (in room Stewart W4/4 !) OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: The uptake of resources from the environment. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 83-88. No lecture (lab week!) Midterm Exam (in-class) Fussmann LESSON 11: Predator-prey dynamics II Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Stability analysis; LotkaVolterra model; Equilibria and oscillations; Paradox of enrichment. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 88-101. LESSON 12: Epidemics: Host-parasitoid models and Guichard disease dynamics. SI and SIR dynamics. OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: models of infections and the role of diseases and parasites in the regulation of populations. READINGS: NA. Lab 3: Predator-prey dynamics and disease dynamics. TAs/Guichard/Fussm ann No lecture (lab week!) LESSON 13: Positive interactions: mutualism, facilitation. Guichard OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: The different types of positive interactions and their role for the stability and structure of communities. Consequences of positive interactions in simple population models. READINGS: Mittelbach p.175-194. LESSON 14: Stochasticity and environmental fluctuations Guichard OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Understand the general influence of environmental fluctuations in simple deterministic population models. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 289-304 (includes readings for Lecture 16). LESSON 15: Species assembly: neutral and tradeoff Guichard models OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Understand the different mechanisms leading to the coexistence of many species. Be able to incorporate life-history tradeoffs in simple competition models. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 13-40; p. 267-285.
Nov. 08, Thu
Nov. 13, Tue
Nov. 15, Thu
Nov. 20, Tue
Nov. 20, 22, 23 Nov. 22, Thu Nov. 27, Tue Nov. 29, Thu
Guichard LESSON 16: Succession dynamics OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Understand the role of disturbance and life-history tradeoffs in producing succession dynamics and in maintaining species diversity READINGS: Mittelbach p. 289-304 (includes readings for Lecture 14). LESSON 17: Food chains & food webs I Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: The dynamics of more than two interacting populations. Omnivory. Trophic control. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 197-205; p. 212-219; p. 244247. LESSON 18: Food chains & food webs II Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Trophic control. Biomanipulation. Multi-species models. Alternative stable states. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 113-122; p. 223-244; p. 248; p. 304-315. LESSON 19: Food webs & food webs III Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Dynamics of network structures. Are there trends? Keystone predation. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 41-62; p. 205-212; p. 219-222. Lab 4: Top-down control. Keystone predation. TAs/Guichard/Fussm ann No lecture (lab week!) LESSON 20: The dynamics of extinction (GUEST Gonzalez LECTURE by Prof. A. Gonzalez, McGill) LESSON 21: Food webs & food webs IV Fussmann/Guichard Eco-evolutionary dynamics Review Session for Final Exam OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: The importance of different resources and of their relative availability for the dynamics. The interaction of evolutionary and ecological dynamics on the same time scale. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 317-324; p. 339-345.
Evaluation: Midterm exam (30%), Final exam (45%), Lab reports (Total: 25%; Lab 1: 4%, Lab 2-4: 7% each). Lab attendance is mandatory. Exams will have multiple choice questions, problems and short development questions. Final exam will not be comprehensive. Book: Mittelbach, Gary G. (2012) Community Ecology. Sinauer, Sunderland. 400 pages. ISBN 978-0-87893-509-3 (paperbound).
Lab sections: Simulations using MATLAB (2 labs): The general goal is that students will be able to execute and understand dynamic ecological models in the programming language MATLAB. Students should be able to execute and modify the MATLAB code in order to explore the behaviour of models. Simulations using SimUText (2 labs): Students will explore the dynamical aspects of key ecological concepts (resource limitation, competitive exclusion, top-down control, key stone predation) in the context of an interactive teaching software program. Labs will also have a Tutorial section to practice problem solving as tested in the exams. Students will form teams of 3 people and will answer specific research questions and present their results in a joint, written lab report. Reports will be due one week after the lab. Reports will be submitted as hardcopies to the TAs and there will be a penalty for late submission (10%/day). Lab attendance is mandatory. Reports handed in by students who missed part of or the entire Lab section for which they signed up without excuse will be marked as 0%. The mark of team members who did attend the Lab shall not be affected; their report will be marked as usual. If the cause for missing a Lab section is foreseeable, the course coordinator must be informed in advance. Permission to miss a Lab section will only be granted for the most serious reasons (illness etc.) and proof will be requested.
Special announcements: 1) In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University’s control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change. 2) In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded. 3) McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see www.mcgill.ca/integrity for more information). 4) Instructors who may adopt the use of text-matching software to verify the originality of students’ written course work must register for use of the software with Teaching Technology Services ([email protected] ) and must inform their students before the drop/add deadline, in writing, of the use of text-matching software in a course. RESOURCE DOCUMENT www.mcgill.ca/files/students/Text-Matching-Policy-on-English.pdf
Instructor Information: Gregor Fussmann (Course coordinator) [email protected] Office: W6/4 Phone: 398-1370 Biography: Dr. Fussmann studies eco-evolutionary dynamics of interacting populations. He works with mathematical models as well as with live organisms in aquatic microcosms and in the field. Dr. Fussmann joined the faculty at McGill in 2004.
Frederic Guichard [email protected] Office: W3/3 Phone: 398-6464 Biography: Dr Guichard's research focuses on problems of scales and on spatial dynamics of ecological communities. His research involves mathematical modeling, field experiments and remote sensing in marine ecosystems He develops theories explaining large-scale ecological dynamics from localized interactions between organisms, which are then applied to marine reserve design. Dr. Guichard joined the faculty at McGill in 2002.
List of lectures (with specific goals and readings) and computer labs: Date Sept. 04, Tue Sept. 06, Thu Sept. 11, Tue
Topic Professor No lecture. Election Day! LESSON 01:Introduction: Dynamical systems Fussmann/Guichard LESSON 02: Population growth Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Density-independent growth: geometric and exponential growth. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 65-68. Sept. 13, Thu LESSON 03: Growth of structured populations I Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Age- and stage-structure, life tables and simple Leslie matrices. READINGS: SimUText Chapter “Life History” Sept. 18, Tue LESSON 04: Growth of structured populations II; Fussmann Regulation of population growth I OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Complex Leslie matrices; eigenvector and eigenvalue. Continuous time logistic model, carrying capacity. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 68-81. Sept. 18, 20, Lab 1: Matlab tutorial. Population growth: Discrete vs. TAs/Fussmann/ 21 continuous time models Guichard Sept. 20, Thu LESSON 05: Regulation of population growth II, Time Fussmann delays and discrete time dynamics OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Stability analysis of the continuous logistic equation. Time delays and the discrete time logistic equation; population cycles and fluctuations in single-species populations. READINGS: NA Guichard Sept. 25, Tue LESSON 06: Spatial dynamics and dispersal limitation. Metapopulation models OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Understand how limited movement of individuals and of their propagules can influence the stability and abundance of populations. Understand the main metapopulation models. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 251-266. Sept. 27, Thu LESSON 07: Species interactions: Introductions. Guichard Competition I: Lotka-Volterra dynamics OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Analyse and predict conditions for coexistence of 2 species competing for a single resource. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 1-10; p. 125-130. Guichard Oct. 02, Tue LESSON 08: Competition II: Mechanisms of coexistence OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Models explaining coexistence of species in natural systems. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 132-142; p. 145-147. Oct. 04, Thu LESSON 09: Coexistence in natural systems Guichard
Oct. 09, 11, 12 Oct. 09, Tue
Oct. 11, Thu Oct. 16, Tue Oct. 18, Thu
Oct. 23, Tue
Oct. 23, 25, 26 Oct. 25, Thu Oct. 30, Tue
Nov. 01, Thu
Nov. 06, Tue
OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Experimental results explaining coexistence of species in natural systems. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 149-173. Lab 2: Competition. Lotka-Volterra Tilman’s model. TAs/Guichard/Fussm Coexistence under fluctuating environment ann LESSON 10: Predator-prey dynamics I: Functional responses (in room Stewart W4/4 !) OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: The uptake of resources from the environment. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 83-88. No lecture (lab week!) Midterm Exam (in-class) Fussmann LESSON 11: Predator-prey dynamics II Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Stability analysis; LotkaVolterra model; Equilibria and oscillations; Paradox of enrichment. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 88-101. LESSON 12: Epidemics: Host-parasitoid models and Guichard disease dynamics. SI and SIR dynamics. OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: models of infections and the role of diseases and parasites in the regulation of populations. READINGS: NA. Lab 3: Predator-prey dynamics and disease dynamics. TAs/Guichard/Fussm ann No lecture (lab week!) LESSON 13: Positive interactions: mutualism, facilitation. Guichard OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: The different types of positive interactions and their role for the stability and structure of communities. Consequences of positive interactions in simple population models. READINGS: Mittelbach p.175-194. LESSON 14: Stochasticity and environmental fluctuations Guichard OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Understand the general influence of environmental fluctuations in simple deterministic population models. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 289-304 (includes readings for Lecture 16). LESSON 15: Species assembly: neutral and tradeoff Guichard models OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Understand the different mechanisms leading to the coexistence of many species. Be able to incorporate life-history tradeoffs in simple competition models. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 13-40; p. 267-285.
Nov. 08, Thu
Nov. 13, Tue
Nov. 15, Thu
Nov. 20, Tue
Nov. 20, 22, 23 Nov. 22, Thu Nov. 27, Tue Nov. 29, Thu
Guichard LESSON 16: Succession dynamics OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Understand the role of disturbance and life-history tradeoffs in producing succession dynamics and in maintaining species diversity READINGS: Mittelbach p. 289-304 (includes readings for Lecture 14). LESSON 17: Food chains & food webs I Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: The dynamics of more than two interacting populations. Omnivory. Trophic control. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 197-205; p. 212-219; p. 244247. LESSON 18: Food chains & food webs II Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Trophic control. Biomanipulation. Multi-species models. Alternative stable states. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 113-122; p. 223-244; p. 248; p. 304-315. LESSON 19: Food webs & food webs III Fussmann OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: Dynamics of network structures. Are there trends? Keystone predation. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 41-62; p. 205-212; p. 219-222. Lab 4: Top-down control. Keystone predation. TAs/Guichard/Fussm ann No lecture (lab week!) LESSON 20: The dynamics of extinction (GUEST Gonzalez LECTURE by Prof. A. Gonzalez, McGill) LESSON 21: Food webs & food webs IV Fussmann/Guichard Eco-evolutionary dynamics Review Session for Final Exam OBJECTIVES OR GOALS: The importance of different resources and of their relative availability for the dynamics. The interaction of evolutionary and ecological dynamics on the same time scale. READINGS: Mittelbach p. 317-324; p. 339-345.
