Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780470525876
Year: 2009
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc (US)
Pages: 436


Description:
A one-of-a-kind guide to using deterministic and probabilistic
methods for solving problems in the biological sciences


Highlighting the growing relevance of quantitative techniques in
scientific research, Mathematical Methods in Biology provides an
accessible presentation of the broad range of important
mathematical methods for solving problems in the biological
sciences. The book reveals the growing connections between
mathematics and biology through clear explanations and specific,
interesting problems from areas such as population dynamics,
foraging theory, and life history theory.


The authors begin with an introduction and review of
mathematical tools that are employed in subsequent chapters,
including biological modeling, calculus, differential equations,
dimensionless variables, and descriptive statistics. The following
chapters examine standard discrete and continuous models using
matrix algebra as well as difference and differential equations.
Finally, the book outlines probability, statistics, and stochastic
methods as well as material on bootstrapping and stochastic
differential equations, which is a unique approach that is not
offered in other literature on the topic.


In order to demonstrate the application of mathematical methods
to the biological sciences, the authors provide focused examples
from the field of theoretical ecology, which serve as an accessible
context for study while also demonstrating mathematical skills that
are applicable to many other areas in the life sciences. The book's
algorithms are illustrated using MATLAB®, but can also be
replicated using other software packages, including R,
Ma