MASC508 TROPHIC MODELLING WITH ECOPATH WITH ECOSIM AND QUANTIFICATION OF ECOSYSTEM HEALTH
| Course Code: | 9500508 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 8.0 |
| Department: | Graduate School of Marine Sciences |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Graduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Assoc.Prof.Dr. EKİN AKOĞLU |
| Offered Semester: | Fall and Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, the students are expected to
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understand the general concepts used in ecological modelling (e.g. carrying capacity, functional response, closure term, state variables etc.),
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be able to construct simple ecosystem models by formulating trophic interactions within a food web,
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be competent in using Ecopath with Ecosim to set up trophic mass-balance and dynamic representations of given ecosystems,
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understand, calculate and be able to interpret commonly used ecological indicators as means of ecosystem structure and function of marine ecosystems.
Course Content
This course is intended to provide graduate students of marine sciences an introduction to general ecosystem theory and mathematical concepts about and quantitative representation of trophic relationships between organisms/populations/communities within marine food webs along with the command of a widely-adopted marine ecosystem modelling tool Ecopath with Ecosim (Christensen et al.,2005). The topics of interest include, but not limited to foraging arena theory, ecological network analysis, ecological indicators, and quantification of ecosystem maturity/health.
Course Learning Outcomes
Understanding of basic ecological concepts
Calculation and interpretation of common ecological indicators used in marine ecosystems
Command of Ecopath with Ecosim modelling software