Integrated Population Modelling

In Chap. 5, we recommended that formulation of population dynamics models should be guided by aims to answer specific scientific questions or assess or predict the effects of management actions. Management actions might target a specific life stage. For example, we might ask "How does removing wetland plants (such as bulrush or cattail) that have started to cover ponds and reduce the amount of open water in a waterfowl breeding area affect reproductive success?" The consequences of actions, however, typically ripple throughout the entire population life history and effective management requires more detailed ecological study. This in turn requires information about demographic processes and abundances for multiple life stages to characterize the population dynamics.