Spatially Explicit Population Models: Current Forms and Future Uses

Abstract

Spatially explicit population models are becoming increasingly useful tools for population ecologists, conservation biologists, and land managers. Models are spatially explicit when they combine a population simulator with a landscape map that describes the spatial distribution of landscape features. With this map, the locations of habitat patches, individuals, and other items of interest are explicitly incorporated into the model, and the effect of changing landscape features on population dynamics can be studied. In this paper we describe the structure of some spatially explicit models under development and provide examples of current and future research using these models. Spatially explicit models are important tools for investigating scale‐related questions in population ecology, especially the response of organisms to habitat change occurring at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Simulation models that incorporate real‐world landscapes, as portrayed by landscape maps created with geographic information systems, are also proving to be crucial in the development of management strategies in response to regional land‐use and other global change processes. Spatially explicit population models will increase our ability to accurately model complex landscapes, and therefore should improve both basic ecological knowledge of landscape phenomena and applications of landscape ecology to conservation and management.

Causes and consequences of animal dispersal strategies: relating individual behaviour to spatial dynamics

“…Dispersal, and in general, spatial processes, have been shown to be important for the persistence of populations in the face of environmental change and the success of different management strategies (Hanski & Thomas, 1994;Dunning et al, 1995;Swinton et al, 1997;Clutton-Brock et al, 2002). For instance, the effect of habitat degradation on the persistence of a population may depend on whether immigrating animals can distinguish between habitats of differing quality.…”

“…Through simply moving from one habitat patch to another, the dispersal of an individual has consequences not only for individual fitness, but also for population dynamics and genetics, and species' distributions (Dunning et al, 1995;Hanski & Gilpin, 1997 ;Hanski, 1999 ;Clobert et al, 2001). Due to this link between dispersal and population dynamics, understanding its causes and consequences is vital for population management and predicting the population response to changes in the environment.…”

Environmental Entitlements: Dynamics and Institutions in Community-Based Natural Resource Management

“…First, an understanding of variability in space and time, which has led to work on time-series population analysis, stochastic and dynamic modeling (Hastings et al, 1993;Elner and Turchin, 1995) and an interest in the relationships between disturbance regimes and spatial patterning from patches to landscapes (e.g., Kolasa and Pickett, 1991;Turner, 1989). Second, nonequilibrium perspectives suggested a need to explore the implications of scaling on dynamic processes, which has lead to work on hierarchies and scale relationships in ecosystems analysis (Allen and Hoekstra, 1991;O'Neill et al, 1986;Dunning and Stewart, 1995). Third, a recognition of the importance of history on current dynamics has led to work on environmental change at a variety of time scales (Worster, 1990;Williams, 1994).…”

Validité de la carte forestière pour décrire les habitats fauniques à l'échelle locale : une étude de cas en Abitibi-Témiscamingue

“…Dans le cas des modbles d'IQH appliquh Bun vaste territoire, il imimporte surtout que la proportion globale des diverses strates forestibres soit la bonne. Dans le cas de modbles spatialement explicites (Dunning et al 1995), il est par contre primordial que chaque polygone forestier Cvalut et ses voisins soient correctement dtcrits. La superposition des donntes tt1Cmttriques B la carte forestibre pour analyser la sklection d'habitat fait face B la meme exigence.…”