Patsy Haccou - Böcker

Presenting sophisticated statistical methods for analysing continuous-time records of behaviour, this book integrates recent developments in ethology, mathematical modelling, statistics, and technology. With numerous worked examples, the book leads the reader through the mathematical processes and their applications. The book will be incomparably useful to students and researchers in all areas of behavioural science.The authors show how to analyse behavioural data starting with a basic model, the continuous-time Markov chain. They then indicate how and when this model can be generalized and demonstrate the suitability of their approach for detecting, for example, the effects of different experimental treatments or of changes in the social or physical environment. Competitive interactions such as predator-prey or host-parasite are also good subjects for this type of analysis.

Biology takes a special place among the other natural sciences because biological units, be they pieces of DNA, cells or organisms, reproduce more or less faithfully. As for any other biological processes, reproduction has a large random component. The theory of branching processes was developed especially as a mathematical counterpart to this most fundamental of biological processes. This active and rich research area allows us to make predictions about both extinction risks and the development of population composition, and also uncovers aspects of a population's history from its current genetic composition. Branching processes play an increasingly important role in models of genetics, molecular biology, microbiology, ecology and evolutionary theory. This book presents this body of mathematical ideas for a biological audience, but should also be enjoyable to mathematicians.