This is a textbook on population dynamics that's accompanied by a stripped down version of the RAMAS set of software packages. The tetbook focuses mainly on applied problems in population ecology, using lots of real data and examples, and talking quite a bit about things of interest to conservation biologists. Scattered throughout the text are mathematical exercises for the student to do. Some of these are pencil and paper exercises, and the rest use the set of software which accompanies the text. The software lets you do three different types of population models: models of single, unstructured populations; models of single, age / stage structured populations; and models of metapopulations, where each population uses a model similar to the single, unstructured models. The single population model lets you specify N(0), R, survival rate, std. dev. of R, a type of density dependence (exponential growth vs. scramble or contest competition, or a ceiling), and K. The meaning of all these, and how to estimate them from data, are well explained in the textbook. You can run a model multiple times to get distributions of results, and then look at the output using several graphs, including population over time and extinction risk vs. population size. The other two models are similar. One lets you input a matrix (with variability in each term), including immigration and harvesting terms. The second lets you place separate metapopulations, each with their own population dynamics, at specific (x,y) coordinates and give the average dispersal distance for individuals and the correlation between populations.

Since these reviews are for software, I won't specifically review the textbook. The strength of the software package is how the programs are integrated as exercises into the textbook. This is a powerful way to teach quantitative concepts in ecology, and the labs are well thought out and nicely illustrate points in the text. Among the strengths of this package are its early and constant focus on the effects of variability, statistics, and using real data. The program also includes good help screens for each parameter that you can input. The program suffers, however, from having an antiquated user interface which may be confusing to students used to Windows or Macintosh computers. While its recently been updated to run under Windows 95, its DOS origins clearly show through. To do anything you have to navigate a bunch of menus and windows which are not as well organized as they could be. Sometimes these do non-intuitive things, jumping from one display to another when you don't expect it, and to get to certain graph or from one set of parameters to another can take a bit of navigating. The program is also fairly limited - it includes just those things neccesary for the exercises in the textbook, and while you could write your own exercises using the program, they couldn't stray too far from those that are already included. Still, despite these drawbacks, this combination of textbook with quantitative computer exercises should be really nice for upper level ecology and conservation biology classes, particularly classes that focus on how to deal with real data.

Computer: DOS or Windows

Source:

Applied Biomathematics 100 Coutry Road
Setauket, NY 11733
Phone: 1-800-735-4350
Fax: 1-516-751-3435
Email: info@ramas.com
Web Site: http://www.ramas.com

Cost: Low

Last update 16th of February 1999