Spatial Ecology in R

3 Credits

Many ecological questions in terrestrial and marine systems originate from the observation that organisms and the ecological processes that influence them vary in space. This course emphasizes the study of spatial ecological patterns (including animal movement), the processes that generate and maintain these patterns and processes, and the construction of models in R to analyze, simulate, and understand the interplay between spatial pattern, ecological processes, and scale. The objective of the course is to introduce students to ecological theories and concepts relevant to the study of spatial ecological patterns in terrestrial and marine systems, while providing the R skills necessary to articulate and answer scientific questions by confronting models with data.