A Biologist's Guide to Mathematical Modeling in Ecology and Evolution

by Sarah P. Otto, Troy Day

Thirty years ago, biologists could get by with a rudimentary grasp of mathematics and modeling. Not so today. In seeking to answer fundamental questions about how biological systems function and change over time, the modern biologist is as likely to rely on sophisticated mathematical and computer-based models as traditional fieldwork. In this book, Sarah Otto and Troy Day provide biology students with the tools necessary to both interpret models and to build their own.


The book starts at an elementary level of mathematical modeling, assuming that the reader has had high school mathematics and first-year calculus. Otto and Day then gradually build in depth and complexity, from classic models in ecology and evolution to more intricate class-structured and probabilistic models. The authors provide primers with instructive exercises to introduce readers to the more advanced subjects of linear algebra and probability theory. Through examples, they describe how models have been used to understand such topics as the spread of HIV, chaos, the age structure of a country, speciation, and extinction.


Ecologists and evolutionary biologists today need enough mathematical training to be able to assess the power and limits of biological models and to develop theories and models themselves. This innovative book will be an indispensable guide to the world of mathematical models for the next generation of biologists.

Genres: Science, Biology, Textbooks, Nonfiction, Mathematics, Evolution

744 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[Cyanide Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

despite what the cover notes say, I'm not sure how many biologists would be able to follow this book unless they had a solid grounding in calculus and differential equations. There is some pretty hairy mathematics in some of the later chapters and a couple of between chapter primers in probability theory and markov models is unlikely to be enough. Perhaps it would be better aimed at mathematicians or physicists wanting to know more about the theories of evolutionary biology. From that perspective, i liked it a lot.

[Brady Rudh · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book is certainly better than some textbooks (and the examples/reminders about math that I hadn't used in a while were very helpful), I found the writing style to be somewhat unapproachable at times. My professor used this book as a guide for his course, and the course was excellent.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is coming from an ecologist with one semester of college calculus. At any level above high school science, math plays a heavy role in biology/ecology/evolution and is necessary to understand basic ecological dynamics. I think this book is aimed at upper level undergraduates and graduate students in the sciences, and can be a great reference for others.

This book is a (very) comprehensive overview of all types of modelling. It starts at the basic level and gets more advanced depending on what the chapter topic is about. It provides the depth necessary to understand certain topics, but much can be skipped if you're not that interested. This book could have been be published at half the length if need be, but the authors wanted to be comprehensive - which I found helpful.

This is a great overview for anyone interested in population ecology and understanding the types of dynamics we see in nature. Again, this book is a general overview of ecology and evolution, so if you are interested in a specific field (I model infectious diseases), I would suggest also purchasing a book appropriate to your field of study.

[Yates Buckley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good theory though quite partial to certain modelling techniques and very little biology. I think the book is a good introduction but quite distant from actual methods in the field.

[Jette Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book can be a little long winded. I personally found it very challenging to read five pages let alone the fifty or so in one chapter. Be sure to use Dr. Otto's website as a resource: http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~bio301/

[Dgg32 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book for MM. Long, takes as long to digest. Worth it!