Review of On-line Lecture Course
                            Quantitative Population Ecology

   This review appeared in the [1]Plant Pathology Internet Guide Book as a "Tip of
   the month", August 1997

   [2]Quantitative Population Ecology, by A. Sharov, Dept. of Entomology, Virginia
   Tech, Blacksburg, USA.

   True online lectures for quantitative population ecology in 13 chapters including
   Population systems and their components (1), Spatial distribution of organisms
   (3), Statistical analysis of population dynamics (4), Predators, Parasites, and
   Pathogens (10), Competition and Cooperation (11), Dispersal and spatial dynamics
   (12), or Population outbreaks (13). A lab section (including Parasitism and
   Biological Control) completed this resource. All chapters come with examples to
   explain the theoretical models.

   Each chapter is extremly well organized and useful. The text is accompanied by
   many figures and downloadable files. This site is an absolute must for all
   teaching Population Ecology or students learning it, but it should also not be
   missed by anybody else.

   Summary: Highly recommendable, very useful education resource! It is featured as
   a TIP in section "Teaching, Education & Courses" of PPIGB.

   See the Readers's Review of this Website (below).
     ____________________________________________________________________________

   Teaching, Education & Courses:

   [3]

Quantitative Population Ecology

   reviewed by Dr. S. Vidal (15 August 1997)

   The web site Quantitative Population Ecology, maintained by Alexei Sharov at the
   Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, containes 13 lecture handouts and 8 labs
   designed for a course of graduate students with low level prerequisites in
   statistics and ecology. Beginning with a brief introduction and definitions on
   population ecolgy, the following chapters describe the methods to census
   population densities and sizes. This is essential, because without a sound method
   of sampling all analytical models on the population dynamics will be worthless.
   Thereafter, the methods to analyse statistically population dynamics, the growth
   of reproducing populations or life tables are introduced. With this tools the
   students should be able to develop a simple Leslie model. The understading of
   predator-prey models or the host-pathogen model is essential for biological
   control programs; however the shortcomings and extensions of the models are also
   mentioned. One lecture covers the recently developed extensions of local
   population dynamics, the spatial processes of populations, the diffusion models
   or metapopulation models. The incorporation of these models will add a new
   dimension to the understanding of population regulation (see for example J Roland
   & PD Taylor, Nature 386: 710-713). Everyone, who is interested in the question,
   why population outbreaks occurr, should read the final lecture on the mechanisms
   of outbreaks and the underlying models and assumtions. Although huge steps are
   made to understand the population dynamics of eruptive populations since the very
   beginning, several questions remain unanswered.

   The chapters cover, although in a very abbreviated form, all basic models
   presently discussed in population ecology and end with several questions on the
   topics for the readers or students to reconsider the problems again. The
   presentation of the text and the figures is informative and allows a clear view.
   The web side created by A. Sharov is a state of the art introduction in
   population ecology and is a must for those who are interested in population
   ecology. Moreover it is highly recommended for plant pathologists who want to
   know something about what is going on in this branch of biology.

   Dr. Stefan Vidal
   Institut for Plant Diseases and Plant Protection
   University of Hanover
   Herrenhaeuser Str. 2
   D - 30419 Hannover

   Tel: + 49 511 762 2643
   Fax: + 49 511 762 3015
   email: vidal@mbox.ipp.uni-hannover.de
     ____________________________________________________________________________

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References

   1. http://www.ifgb.uni-hannover.de/extern/ppigb/
   2. http://alexei.nfshost.com/PopEcol/popecol.html
   3. http://alexei.nfshost.com/PopEcol/popecol.html
   4. http://alexei.nfshost.com/PopEcol/popecol.html