Population Ecology (EEE 330)
Fall 2026 (HS26)
Course Organiser & Teaching Assistants
Arpat Ozgul — arpat.ozgul@uzh.ch
Stefan Sommer — stefan.sommer@uzh.ch
Daniel Breitenmoser — daniel.breitenmoser@uzh.ch
Description
Population ecology asks why populations grow, decline, fluctuate, persist, or disappear. This course develops the demographic theory and quantitative models used to address these questions, with particular emphasis on wildlife conservation and management.
Course objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- translate organismal biology and life history into demographic models;
- analyse and interpret deterministic and stochastic population models;
- evaluate how vital rates, environmental variation, density dependence, harvesting, and dispersal affect population dynamics;
- use sensitivity, elasticity, and LTRE to identify demographic drivers of population change;
- understand how demographic parameters are estimated and incorporated into population models;
- evaluate population projections and PVA critically, including assumptions and uncertainty; and
- apply population models to conservation and management problems using R.
Course format
EEE330 is an intensive block course combining interactive morning lectures with guided quantitative practicals. Three practical sessions are dedicated to a rotifer population experiment, which provides data for subsequent demographic analyses and the final lab report.
Lectures: 09:00–12:00
Practicals: 13:30–17:00
Times may vary slightly; please follow course announcements.
Expected background
Introductory ecology and basic quantitative skills are expected. Previous experience with population models and R is helpful, but essential concepts will be refreshed during the course.
Assessment
- Final exam — 50%
- Rotifer lab report — 30%
- Participation in practicals and in-class activities — 20%
Schedule
Morning topics indicate the planned progression. Exact timing may shift slightly during the course.
| Date | Time | Session | Topic | Room |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 26 Nov | 09:00–12:00 | Lecture | Population ecology through the Florida panther case | Y34-J-02 |
| 13:30–17:00 | Practical 1 | Quantitative + R survival kit | Y13-J-26 | |
| Fri 27 Nov | 09:00–12:00 | Lecture | Life history, fitness, heterogeneity; structured demography | Y34-J-02 |
| 13:30–17:00 | Practical 2 | Population-modelling foundations | Y13-J-26 | |
| Tue 1 Dec | 13:30–17:00 | Practical 3 | Rotifer experiment I | Y13-J-26 |
| Wed 2 Dec | 09:00–12:00 | Practical 4 | Structured demography | Y34-J-02 |
| 13:30–17:00 | Practical 5 | Rotifer experiment II | Y13-J-26 | |
| Thu 3 Dec | 09:00–12:00 | Lecture | Population growth and perturbation analysis | Y34-J-02 |
| 13:30–17:00 | Practical 6 | Rotifer experiment III | Y13-J-26 | |
| Fri 4 Dec | 09:00–12:00 | Lecture | Sensitivity, elasticity, and LTRE | Y34-J-02 |
| 13:30–17:00 | Practical 7 | Perturbation analysis | Y13-J-26 | |
| Tue 8 Dec | 13:30–17:00 | Practical 8 | Rotifer analysis I: vital rates, matrices, and population growth | Y13-J-96 |
| Wed 9 Dec | 09:00–12:00 | Lecture | Environmental variation and stochastic population dynamics | Y34-J-02 |
| 13:30–17:00 | Lecture | Demographic stochasticity, small populations, and extinction risk | Y13-J-96 | |
| Thu 10 Dec | 09:00–12:00 | Lecture | Density dependence, regulation, and biotic feedbacks | Y34-J-02 |
| 13:30–17:00 | Practical 9 | LTRE | Y13-J-96 | |
| Fri 11 Dec | 09:00–12:00 | Lecture | Harvesting, management, and spatial population dynamics | Y34-J-02 |
| 13:30–17:00 | Practical 10 | Rotifer analysis II: LTRE and interpretation | Y13-J-96 | |
| Tue 15 Dec | 13:30–17:00 | Practical 11 | Relaxing assumptions in population models | Y13-J-96 |
| Wed 16 Dec | 09:00–12:00 | Lecture | Spatial population dynamics; observations → vital rates | Y34-J-02 |
| 13:30–17:00 | Practical 12 | Population-modelling synthesis, report support, and review | Y13-J-96 | |
| Thu 17 Dec | 09:00–12:00 | Lecture | Demographic inference; multistate CMR → structured matrices; integration | Y34-J-02 |
| 13:30–17:00 | Guided study | Report and exam support | Y13-J-96 | |
| Fri 18 Dec | 09:00–12:00 | Lecture | PVA, management, synthesis, and Q&A | Y34-J-02 |
| 13:30–17:00 | Practical 13 | Guided exam preparation — no new material | Y13-J-96 |
Computing
Students need a laptop with R and RStudio installed for the practicals. A limited number of university laptops are available; contact the course organiser in advance if needed.
Readings
There is no required textbook. Selected readings and primary literature will be provided during the course.
Course website
Course materials, practicals, readings, and updates will be provided online.