LET5839 - Modeling Insect Populations

Credit hours

Instructor
Wesley Augusto Conde Godoy

Objective
To provide students with fundamentals for the application of mathematical modeling in Entomology. The
course contains essential elements of mathematical ecology to understand the processes that govern the
dynamics of insect populations, including the analysis of population trends, hotspots, dynamic behavior
patterns, and population persistence. In addition, the theoretical framework used in the discipline will
provide subsidies to increase mathematical models of the predator-prey or host-parasitoid type with
biological control strategies and integrated pest management.

Content
Population growth will be studied through computer simulations using Excel spreadsheets and
programming in R. Populations will be studied increasingly and gradually, starting with simplified cases.
Topics include unlimited population growth, passing through models dependent on density, age
structure, population migration, and moving towards interactive models such as herbivore-plant, preypredator,
parasitoid host, and trophic interaction models. The logical reasoning for understanding the
functioning of biological systems consisting of pests and natural enemies will be explored in the course, leading students to interact with each other and with computer programs. Thus, the complexity of the models will be introduced step by step so that the student can understand all the processes involved in population modeling. The modules intended to study interactive models (competition, predator-prey, and host-parasitoid) will receive significant attention due to the course theme applied to pest management. Basic notions of integral and differential calculus will be reviewed in the course.

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