MATH 372 - F07

All Students should be aware that the Department of Mathematical Sciences takes the NJIT Honor code very seriously and enforces it strictly. This means there must not be any forms of plagiarism, i.e., copying of homework, class projects, or lab assignments, or any form of cheating in quizzes and exams. Under the Honor Code, students are obligated to report any such activities to the Instructor.

Mathematics 372-001:

POPULATION BIOLOGY

Fall 2007

Please note that the University Drop Date November 5, 2007 deadline will be strictly enforced.

Homework Policy: Homework assignments will be given each week; homework is due by the beginning of the following class. Partial credit may be given for homework that is handed in late. While studying in a group may be useful, homework should represent individual effort. Homework copying is easy to spot, and will be treated as a violation of the NJIT Honor Code.

All DMS students must familiarize themselves with and adhere to the Department of Mathematical Sciences Course Policies, in addition to official university-wide policies. DMS takes these policies very seriously and enforces them strictly. For DMS Course Policies, please click here.

September 3	M	Labor Day ~ No Classes Scheduled
November 5	M	Last Day to Withdraw from Classes
November 20	T	Classes Follow a Thursday Schedule
November 21	W	Classes Follow a Friday Schedule
November 22-23	R-F	Thanksgiving Recess ~ No Classes Scheduled

Course Outline and Homework Assignments:

Week Dates	Topics

1 Sep 5	Introduction. Density-Independent Population Growth. (Ch. 1)
	HW: Problems given in class.
2 Sep 10, 12	Density-Independent Population Growth Continued. (Chs. 1, 2)
	HW: Problems given in class.
3 Sep 17, 19	Demography: Life Tables and Matrices. (Ch. 3)
	HW: Problems given in class.
4 Sep 24, 26	Timeseries Diagnostics. Simple Stability Assessment. Population Viability Analysis (Ch. 3 and provided reading)
	HW: Problems given in class.
5 Oct 1, 3	Metapopulations. Optimal Foraging. Population Genetics. (Ch. 16 and provided reading)
	HW: Problems given in class.
6 Oct 8, 10	Population Genetics Continued. Game Theory. (Provided reading)
	HW: Problems given in class. Study for mid-term and prepare questions for review session.
7 Oct 15, 17	Review & MIDTERM EXAM
	HW: Study for mid-term.
8 Oct 22, 24	Stability Analysis of Continuous-time Models. Lotka-Volterra Competition and Predator-Prey Models. (Chs. 12, 14)
	HW: Problems given in class.
9 Oct 29, 31	Stability of Two-species Models. Model Testing. (Ch. 13)
	HW: Problems given in class.
10 Nov 5, 7	Host-parasitoid Models. Disease Models. Two-species Metapopulations. H (Ch. 16)
	HW: Problems given in class.
11 Nov 12, 14	Multiple-species Community Models. Species Richness and Community Stability. (Ch. 15)
	HW: Background reading for case study 1.
12 Nov 19	Case Study 1: Limits to species coexistence.
	HW: Background reading for case studies 2 and 3.
	NOVEMBER 20-21, 2007: (T-W) Classes Follow a Thursday and Friday Schedule
	NOVEMBER 22-23, 2007: (R-F) Thanksgiving Recess ~ No Classes Scheduled
13 Nov 26, 28	Case Study 2: Evolutionary ecology. Case Study 3: Invasion and spread of a pathogen.
	HW: Background reading for case studies 4 and 5.
14 Nov 26, 28	Case Study 4: Predicting extinction. Case Study 5: Unstable metapopulations.
	HW: Study for final exam. Prepare questions for review session.
15 Dec 10	Review for the FINAL EXAM
	HW: Study for final exam.
Final	FINAL EXAM WEEK: December 14-20, 2007

Homework:		40%
Midterm Exam:		25%
Final Exam:		35%