課程資訊
課程名稱
 理論生態學導論
Introduction to Theoretical Ecology 
開課學期
 110-1 
授課對象
 生命科學院  生態學與演化生物學研究所  
授課教師
 柯柏如 
課號
 EEB5096 
課程識別碼
 B44EU2080 
班次
  
學分
 3.0 
全/半年
 半年 
必/選修
 選修 
上課時間
 星期二6,7,8(13:20~16:20) 
上課地點
 生科3C 
備註
 本課程以英語授課。
總人數上限：14人 
課程網頁
  
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課程概述

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!
The first three weeks of this course will be online. We will host the two modules of this course (i.e., 2-hr lecture and 1-hr practice) on different platforms. We will use Google Meet for the lecture section (https://meet.google.com/nzd-cdjp-kbt). To mimic an environment where we can provide one-on-one coding advice, we will use Gather Town for the hands-on practice section (https://gather.town/app/osrqFSf0a7q0I6uo/TheoreticalEcology). Please login in advance to make sure it is working; learn how to use Gather Town here.

For those who wish to enroll manually, please join the first lecture and stay online afterward. Since we have moved to a larger classroom due to COVID-19 regulation, we can accommodate more students. We have asked students to introduce themselves (e.g., research interest and familiarity with R; 1-2 minutes) during the first time we meet online, so please also be prepared if you wish to enroll.


COURSE DESCRIPTION
The development of theory plays an important role in advancing ecology as a scientific field. This three-unit course is for students at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level. The course will cover classic theoretical topics in ecology, starting from single-species dynamics and gradually build up to multispecies models. The course will primarily focus on population and community ecology, but we will also briefly discuss models in epidemiology and ecosystem ecology. Emphasis will be on theoretical concepts and corresponding mathematical approaches.

This course is designed as a two-hour lecture followed by a one-hour hands-on practice module. In the lecture, we will analyze dynamical models and derive general theories in ecology. In the hands-on practice section, we will use a combination of analytical problem sets, interactive applications, and numerical simulations to gain a general understanding of the dynamics and behavior of different models. All course material will be posted online (https://genchanghsu.github.io/2021_Fall_Introduction_to_Theoretical_Ecology/syllabus.html). 

課程目標
 By the end of the course, students are expected to be familiar with the basic building blocks of ecological models and would be able to formulate and analyze simple models of their own. The hands-on practice component should allow students to link their ecological intuition with the underlying mathematical model, helping them to better understand the primary literature of theoretical ecology.  
課程要求
 Students are only expected to have a basic understanding of calculus (e.g., freshman introductory course) and Ecology. The final grade consists of: assignment problem sets (60%), midterm exam (15%), final exam (15%), and participation (10%). 
預期每週課後學習時數
  
Office Hours
 另約時間 備註： Please email the instructor or the TA to arrange a meeting. 
指定閱讀
 We will use a combination of different textbooks of theoretical ecology. Additional reading materials (listed in the course outline) will be provided. 
參考書目
 1. A Primer of Ecology (4th edition). Nicholas Gotelli, 2008.
2. An Illustrative Guide to Theoretical Ecology. Ted Case, 2000.
3. A Biologist’s Guide to Mathematical Modeling in Ecology and Evolution. Sarah Otto & Troy Day, 2011.
4. Mathematical Ecology of Populations and Ecosystems. John Pastor, 2008. 
評量方式
(僅供參考)
  
No.
項目
百分比
說明
1. 
 Assignment 
60% 
 A total of 100 points will be assigned to 8-10 assignments (each assignment counts as 12.5--10 points). Your total assignment scores (out of 100) times 0.6 will go into your final score. 
2. 
 Midterm exam 
15% 
  
3. 
 Final exam 
15% 
  
4. 
 Participation 
10% 
  
 
課程進度
週次
日期
單元主題
第1週
 9/28  Introduction: what is theoretical ecology?
(Reading material: Grainger et al., 2021) 
第2週
 10/05  Exponential population growth
(Reading material: Gotelli [Ch.1], Case[Ch.1]) 
第3週
 10/12  Logistic population growth and stability analysis
(Reading material: Gotelli [Ch.2]; Case [Ch.5]; Otto & Day [Ch.5]) 
第4週
 10/19  Discrete exponential and logistic models
(Reading material: May, 1976. Simple mathematical models with very complicated dynamics) 
第5週
 10/26  Age-structured population models
(Reading material: Gotelli [Ch.3], Case[Ch.3]; Otto & Day [Ch.10]) 
第6週
 11/02  Metapopulations and patch occupancy models
(Reading material: Gotelli [Ch.4], Case[Ch.16]) 
第7週
 11/09  Lotka-Volterra model of competition: graphical analysis
(Reading material: Gotelli [Ch.5], Case[Ch.14]) 
第8週
 11/16  Lotka-Volterra model of competition: linear stability analysis
(Reading material: Otto & Day [Ch.8]) 
第9週
 11/23  Midterm exam 
第10週
 11/30  Predator-prey interactions
(Reading material: Gotelli [Ch.6], Case[Ch.12, 13]) 
第11週
 12/07  Mutualisms
(Reading material: Vandermeer & Boucher, 1978. Varieties of mutualistic interaction in population models. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 74: 549-558) 
第12週
 12/14  Multispecies models of competition: apparent and exploitative competition
(Reading material: Holt, 1977. Predation, apparent competition, and the structure of prey communities. Theoretical Population Biology, 12:197-229) 
第13週
 12/21  Multispecies models of predation: food chains and intraguild predation
(Reading material: Holt & Polis, 1997. A theoretical framework for intraguild predation. The American Naturalist, 149: 745-764) 
第14週
 12/28  Disease dynamics and SIR models
(Reading material: Anderson & May, 1979. Population biology of infectious diseases: Part I. Nature, 280: 361-367) 
第15週
 1/04  Ecosystem models and feedbacks
(Reading material: Pastor [Ch. 11 & 12]) 
第16週
 1/11  Final exam