This is a basic course intended for senior undergraduate and graduate students with knowledge of basic biology. Students who are interested in any fields in ecosystem sciences (e.g. ecology, microbial biology, oceanography, and conservation biology) are all welcome. The background for advanced mathematics is not presumed. We will learn basic mathematical methods for analyzing ecological systems with one-species, two-species, and more species. Statistics and computer programming are beyond our focus. The course is designed for hand-on work. We just need “paper-and-pencil” for learning how to think quantitatively about populations and communities. If necessary, we will also use well-developed software but we do not need skills in computer programming. There will be dedicated time every week for students to do “paper-and-pencil” exercise. The topics may include:
1. Introduction to theoretical ecology
2. Exponential and logistic population growth
3. Competitive interaction
4. Resource-consumer dynamics
5. Community dynamics and material fluxes
6. Population dynamics in space
7. Community dynamics in space
8. Matrix models for populations and communities
9. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning
10. Introduction to numerical calculations
11. Practice for developing a new model