Dear ecologgers, We are editing a special feature titled "Theory and Practice in Matrix Population Modelling" for the journal Ecological Modelling (https://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecological-modelling; I.F.: 2.363), with the ultimate goal of providing recent theoretical and practical advancements in the application of matrix population models. More details below. In order to be as inclusive of the broad community of researchers working in this field, we wish to make an open call for potential invited submissions. If you are interested in having your work considered for this special feature, please submit a title, full authorship list with affiliation and contact info, as well as a brief (150-200 words) abstract of the work, highlighting its novelty to the emails:
Dmitrii Logofet, Russian Academy of Sciences - [email protected] Rob Salguero-Gómez, University of Oxford - [email protected] Matrix population models represent a popular, convenient tool to describe the dynamics of a single- species, discrete-structured population.The population structure, described by the relevant classification of stages and/or ages and the individual life cycle are typically known from case studies, while the matrix pattern follows from a given life cycle graph. When calibrated with field data, the model matrix serves as an indirect indicator of the environment quality for the species under study, and it provides a rich repertoire of quantitative characteristics that allow for comparative field studies and theoretical research. Depending on the data source and organism, matrix population models face interesting analytical challenges (e.g. whether and how the aggregation of stages affect the appropriate description of the population dynamics) and beg for novel information technologies (e.g. combining the R software with the matrix databases). This Special Issue, already accepted by Ecological Modelling, will present recent achievements and previously unaddressed aspects in the theory of matrix population modelling and the practice of model applications as efficient quantitative tools of comparative demography. In particular, how to cope with various kinds of uncertainty inherent in the field data when calibrating the population projection matrix (PPM), how to average several successive PPMs in order to summarize the population characteristics for the total observation period, and how the power harnessed within the global COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database & COMADRE Animal Matrix Database (http://www.compadre-db.org/) can be unleashed to address comparative and synoptic issues in ecology and evolution. Further details below Timeline: Abstract submission deadline: April 2, 2018 Manuscript submission deadline: September 1, 2018 Guest Editors: Prof. Dmitrii O. Logofet Laboratory of Mathematical Ecology Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Russian Acad. Sсi. Russia Dr. Roberto Salguero-Gómez Department of Zoology University of Oxford UK
