Program
| MSG5b | |
|---|---|
| Richard Brown | |
| Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand | |
| Title | Dispersal, fragmentation, and space: Determining the importance of spatial structure in different models of plant dispersal |
| Abstract | There are a multitude of different mathematical models used to model plant spread and dispersal, from the simple Levin\'s model, through reaction-diffusion equations, through to integro-difference equations and stochastic individual-based models. These models account for spatial structure in different ways (or not at all) and it can be difficult to understand which model is most appropriate for a given scenario. We look at a simple 1D stochastic process for plant dispersal and study the conditions under which the various continuous deterministic models are or are not good approximations to this process. This helps in understanding when it is important to build spatial structure into mathematical models, and to what degree. We then investigate the differences that arise when fragmentation, or random habitat destruction, is introduced into the models. |
| Location | Woodward 5 |