Bi7350 Statistical Dynamics of Macroecology

Faculty of Science
autumn 2017
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
doc. Jeffrey Clark Nekola, PhD. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. RNDr. Michal Horsák, Ph.D.
Department of Botany and Zoology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: prof. RNDr. Michal Horsák, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Botany and Zoology – Biology Section – Faculty of Science
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 24 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/24, only registered: 0/24, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/24
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to: 1. introduce major macroecological patterns; 2. discuss the standard disciplinary mechanisms proposed to underlie them; 3. consider the potential role(s) played by statistical mechanics in generating them. This course will serve as a case study of how statistical thinking is essential when searching for potential mechanism across not only macroecology but also ecology, biology, and all natural sciences. Besides lectures, students will undertake a course project in which they investigate the potential role of statistical mechanics in generation of a given macroecological pattern by searching for analogs across non-ecological complex systems, including geology, climatology, astrophysics, economics, linguistics, and the arts. After course completion, students will be able to assess the likelihood that a given pattern is a universal expectation of mathematics and statistical mechanics – and thus unlikely to provide useful insights into explicitly ecological process.
Syllabus
  • • Day 1: Lecture - A. Overview of macroecology; B. Overview of statistical universality; C. Overview of macroecology mechanism. Project - Assignment of research topics and location of non-ecological data sources
  • • Day 2: Lecture - D. Species abundance distribution; E. Species area/time relationships; F. Distance decay of similarity. Project – Empirical analyses and interpretation of analog data
  • • Day 3: Lecture - G. Quarter-power metabolic scaling; H. Body size relationships. Presentation of course projects.
Literature
  • BROWN, James H. Macroecology. University of Chicago Press, 1995. 269 pages. ISBN: 9780226076157.
Teaching methods
The course will be taught in three consecutive days (Friday-Sunday). At the end of the course students will present their projects and obtain final evaluation.
Assessment methods
At the end of the course students will present their projects at a “mini-conference”.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: in blocks.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 3D.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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