Join this intensive one-week course to gain essential skills in building and analysing dynamic models of organisms and their ecosystems. Through a mix of focused lectures, guided tutorials, and hands-on computer labs, you’ll learn to move from conceptual models to fully coded simulations. The course covers the full modelling workflow—from defining key questions to interpreting results for science, management, and policy.
While the tools and techniques are broadly applicable, case studies will highlight marine ecosystems and species.
The course features a blend of theory and practice, taught by leading national and international ecosystem modelling experts.
By the end of the week, participants will be able to:
- Formulate clear ecological questions and translate them into appropriate model structures.
- Build and document dynamic models in STELLA, Ecopath with Ecosim, and R, selecting the platform that best fits the problem.
- Evaluate model behaviour through calibration, sensitivity testing, and uncertainty appraisal.
- Design and run scenario simulations that inform conservation, fisheries, and climate-adaptation decisions.
- Critically interpret and communicate modelling results, acknowledging assumptions and limitations, to support evidence-based ecosystem management.
The course “Introduction to Ecological Modelling with a Focus on Food Web Models“ will take place from 16 to 20 June, in a hybrid format.
This intensive one-week course equips participants with the core principles and practical skills needed to design, implement, and analyse models of organisms and the ecosystems they inhabit.
More information: https://www.ciimar.up.pt/events/introduction-to-ecological-modelling-with-a-focus-on-food-web-models/