Ecological Modelling and Ecophysics

This book focuses on use-inspired basic science by connecting theoretical methods and mathematical developments in ecology with practical real-world problems, either in production or conservation. The text aims to increase the reader’s confidence to rely on partial aspects and relations of systems to which we only have an incomplete understanding. By abstracting and simplifying problems, Ecological Modelling and Ecophysics  seeks to expand the reader’s understanding and ability to solve practical issues with rigorous quantitative methods. The first part of this book is devoted to classical methods in population and community ecology. The second part aims to introduce the reader to certain tools and techniques from different branches of physics, such as thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and complex systems, and their applications in ecology and environmental sciences. Connecting ecological problems with well-studied phenomena in physics allows the exploiting of analogies to gain deeper insight into these problems, to identify novel questions and problems, and to get access to alternative quantitative methods and tools from physics. This is an essential text for quantitative ecologists and environmental scientists with an interest in novel mathematical approaches, and also applied physicists and mathematicians with an interest in ecological systems. Key Features Focuses on the practical applications of quantitative ecological models Practical challenges are drawn from agriculture and environmental science Applies methods and theories from physics to gain deeper insight into ecological challenges Covers key quantitative models in ecology including niche theory, mutualism, and game theory Will be of interest to environmental scientists and biophysicists as well as ecologists