Date

March 15, 2019

Time

3:00 pm

Location

ESC B142

Guest Speaker: Dr. Mark Lewis – University of Alberta
Hosts: Marty Krkosek and Marie-Josée Fortin

Abstract:

Animal movement patterns have long been the subject of mathematical and ecological interest. How do individual behavioral decision rules translate into macroscale patterns of space use such as foraging, patrolling or territories? I will show how mechanistic models, using random walks, stochastic processes, first passage time analysis, step-selection functions and partial differential equations can be used to connect underlying processes to the observed patterns. Here interactions are complex and may involve memories of past events, as well as environmental variables and a cognitive map. I will make applications to a spectrum of different emerging patterns, ranging from territories in Amazonian birds to patrolling in wolves.