Mathematical Biology and Ecology Seminar
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Fri, 21/01/2011 14:00 |
Prof Mark Sansom (University of Oxford) |
Mathematical Biology and Ecology Seminar  |
L1 |
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Fri, 28/01/2011 00:00 |
Mathematical Biology and Ecology Seminar |
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Fri, 04/02/2011 14:00 |
Dr Edward Codling (University of Essex) |
Mathematical Biology and Ecology Seminar |
L1 |
| Mathematical modelling of the movement of animals, micro-organisms and cells is of great relevance in the fields of biology, ecology and medicine. Movement models can take many different forms, but the most widely used are based on extensions of simple random walk processes. In this talk I will review some of the basic ideas behind the theory of random walks and diffusion processes and discuss how these models are used in the context of modelling animal movement. I will present several case studies, each of which is an extension or application of some of the simple random walk ideas discussed previously. Specifically, I will consider problems related to biased and correlated movements, path analysis of movement data, sampling and processing issues and the problem of determining movement processes from observed patterns. I will also discuss some biological examples of how these models can be used, including chemosensory movements and interactions between zooplankton and the movements of fish. | |||
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Fri, 11/02/2011 00:00 |
Mathematical Biology and Ecology Seminar |
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Fri, 18/02/2011 14:00 |
Prof Ben Simons (University of Cambridge) |
Mathematical Biology and Ecology Seminar |
L1 |
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Fri, 25/02/2011 00:00 |
Mathematical Biology and Ecology Seminar |
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Fri, 04/03/2011 14:00 |
Dr Christina Cobbold (University of Glasgow) |
Mathematical Biology and Ecology Seminar |
L1 |
| The timing of developmental milestones such as egg hatch or bud break can be important predictors of population success and survival. Many insect species rely directly on temperature as a cue for their developmental timing. With environments constantly under presure to change, developmental timing has become highly adaptive in order to maintain seasonal synchrony. However, climatic change is threatening this synchrony. Our model couples existing models of developmental timing to a quatitative genetics framework which descibes the evolution of developmental parameters. We use this approach to examine the ability of a population to adapt to an enviroment that it is highly maladapted to. Through a combination of numerical and analtyical approaches we explore the dynamics of the infinite dimensional system of integrodifference equations. The model indicates that developmental timing is surprisingly robust in its ability to maitain synchrony even under climatic change which works constantly to maintain maladaptivity. | |||
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Fri, 11/03/2011 00:00 |
Mathematical Biology and Ecology Seminar |
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