OOS 17

Demography Gone Wild: Applications of Integral Projection Models in Functional Ecology, Life History Theory, Community Ecology and Conservation Biology

Population models provide insights on ecological and evolutionary processes ranging from the probability of local extinction to species coexistence, or to the evolution of senescence, to mention a few. In the past few decades, structured population models have provided an important link between theory and empirical demographic data. With advances in computing power and software development, population modeling has evolved rapidly and new approaches such as Integral Projection Models (IPMs) have emerged. IPMs are next-generation demographic models that offer a very powerful and flexible framework founded upon the simplicity and statistical strengths of function-fitting techniques. The proposed OOS will bring together novel IPM-based approaches by senior and early-career leaders in the field to target questions regarding life history evolution (demographic heterogeneity, demography of dioecious systems, complex life histories, costs of reproduction), applied ecology (human-driven demographic impacts, population viability analyses, cost-effective management of invasive species), multi-species interactions (species co-existence) and macroecology (environmental niches and spatial demography). The novelty of the approaches comprised in this OOS will motivate ecologists to realize the great potential that this tool has beyond the classical demographic questions to which it has been applied so far.