2 ECTS Kourou Year 2 Semester 3 Elective Environmental sciences
Content
This course introduces the species abundance distributions that describe biodiversity and the underlying ecological and statistical models. Measures of diversity are then discussed in detail: neutral, phylogenetic, functional diversity and their partitioning. A general theory of diversity measurement based on entropy is developed. Finally, methods for estimating biodiversity from inventory data are applied with R.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, the student should be able to 1) understand how the different theories used to explain the observed patterns of biodiversity were born, 2) understand these theories’ philosophy and mathematical foundations, to see the limits of each of them, 3) understand in which scientific context they emerged, and 4) apply these theories to explain the phenomena of spatial structuring and forest dynamics at the scale of the gene, the species and the community.
Teaching and learning methods
The course is entirely provided in the classroom (14h).
Type of assessment
- Individual
- Written exam
Course definitions and practical exercises will be provided to the students.
Institution(s)
- Location: Kourou
- ECTS granting: AgroParisTech
- Organisation: AgroParisTech
Webpage(s)
Coordinator(s)
