Fall 2011

• MAT 265 - Calculus for Engineers I
• MAT 275 - Modern Differential Equations
• ABS 599 - Thesis

Summer 2011

• ABS 590 - Reading and Conference
• ABS 599 - Thesis

Spring 2011

• MAT 265 - Calculus I
• ABS 560 - Ecological Modeling (new graduate course designed by Y. Kang, 3 hours lecture, 2.5 hours lab each week)
• ABS 590 - Reading and Conference
• ABS 599 - Thesis
• Examples of research projects developed by students (Spring 2011 ABS 560)
  • Acton Matthew - An Examination of the Kaibab Mule Deer Population: Apex Predator to Prey Modeling.
    ABSTRACT: The first purpose of this paper is then to explore the historical content of Aldo Leopold's reported numbers, as reported by Ford, in the context of the modified Rosenzweig-MacCarthur model and the Micaelis-Menton construct of enzyme dynamics. A metabolic and nutrition study was initiated by the Arizona Department of Game and Fish, partially funded by the Arizona Mule Deer Foundation and the Arizona Deer Association, to investigate the nutrition balance provided by the winter range of the Kaibab mule deer herd. The winter range has been perceived by some as being a nutritional “bottleneck” to the population; herd management recommendations have been made with respect towards herd growth on the preliminary data. The second purpose of this paper will attempt to place the same equation into the 2010 - 2011 parameters of herbivore and predator population levels and management plans in place.
  • Northcutt Joshua - Modification of the Lotka-Volterra Predator Prey Model to Include Different Age Classes and Multiple Trophic Levels.
    ABSTRACT: I formulated a simple predator prey model using the Lotka-Volterra predator prey model as a base. I utilized three trophic levels including the Pronghorn Antelope (Antilocapra americana), Coyote (Canis latrans), and a theoretical plant species that serves as food for the pronghorn. Through use of real world parameters an equilibrium point was not able to be reached using the developed model. Reducing the population of coyotes to a manageable level allows the pronghorn population to exist without going extinct.
  • Wedekin Lauren - An example of foodweb dynamics: Intraguild predation among oak, gypsy moth and rodents.
    ABSTRACT: Variations in food web dynamics contribute to community structures. Complex food webs are typically comprised of an often uncountable number of direct and indirect links of different strengths between species. These links ultimately determine the stability and potential equilibrium of a system. It is dicult to model a food web as a whole because it typically involves all species of a given ecosystem. It is much easier to model dynamics of smaller, subsystems. We will look at a subsystem involving the gypsy moth, white-footed mouse, and the oak. Gypsy moths are a primary defoliator of oak trees, while white-footed mice are significant predators of the gypsy moth. Acorns, produced by oak trees, are also a primary resource for the white-footed mouse. The three species are connected in a food web conguration known as intraguild predation, a combination of competition and predation. Populations typically remain stable, but gypsy moths continue to experience intermittent outbreaks. Previous studies have recognized acorn abundance as the main cause for these outbreaks. We develop a semi-discrete model based on theoretical analyses and specic assumptions in order to isolate principal parameters leading to gypsy moth outbreaks.
  • Wildermuth Robert - A stage- and sex-specific null model of California sea lion demography in the Gulf of California, Mexico.
    ABSTRACT: Following Gerber (2006) and González-Suárez and Gerber (2008), I develop a sex- and stage-specific discrete-time model of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Using parameter estimates for growth and survival rates for pups, juveniles, males and females, I describe a positive, stable equilibrium population which is highly influenced by harem size. Sensitivity and elasticity analysis of this model indicate that adult females are the most important sex-stage-class in this system. I conclude with the biological limitations of this new model and the added intuition it has provided.

Fall 2010

• MAT 265 - Calculus for Engineers I
• MAT 275 - Modern Differential Equations
• ABS 489 - Undergraduate Research

Spring 2010

• MAT 265 - Calculus for Engineers I (two sections)

Fall 2009

• MAT 210 - Brief Calculus (two sections)
• ABS 489 - Undergraduate Research

Spring 2009

• MAT 265 - Calculus for Engineers I (two sections)

MAT 210

MAT 265

MAT 275

ABS 560