Course overview: The aim of the course is to introduce you to a spatial data processing, analysis, and visualization capabilities of the R programming language. It will teach a range of techniques using a mixture of lectures, computer exercises and case studies. By the end of the course participants should: Understand the basic concepts of spatial data analysis Know R’s spatial capabilities Understand how to import a range of spatial data sources into R Be confident with using R’s command-line…

Course Overview: This 5-day course will cover population genetics data analysis using the software <i>Migrate</i>. Students will learn to operate the software to infer gene flow and population divergence model using sequence data and microsatellite marker data and compare and choose among different population genetics models. The course has two major components: a theoretical and a hands-on component where participants will use the software on their own computers. In the theoretical section, we will review coalescence theory and discuss concepts…

Course Overview: Live beings are constantly in motion and occur with varying frequency across space. Hence, categorical occurrence maps are always incomplete and oversimplified representations of species’ actual distributions. Analyses that build on such categorical data, such as most diversity, overlap and (dis)similarity indices, overlook important gradations in species occurrence. Fuzzy logic is a valuable tool to formally address the locational uncertainty and gradual variations that characterize biodiversity patterns. This course will show how fuzzy logic can be incorporated in…

Course Overview: The course is a primer on structural equation modelling (SEM) and confirmatory path analysis, with an emphasis on practical skills and applications to real-world data. Structural equation modelling is a rapidly growing technique in ecology and evolution that unites multiple hypotheses in a single causal network. It provides an intuitive graphical representation of relationships among variables, underpinned by well-described mathematical estimation procedures. Several advances in SEM over the past few years have expanded its utility for typical ecological…

Course overview: This course will cover the concepts, technical background and use of stable isotope mixing models (SIMMs) with a particular focus on running them in R. This course will cover the concepts, technical background and use of stable isotope mixing models (SIMMs) with a particular focus on running them in R. Recently SIMMs have become a very popular tool for quantifying food webs and thus the diet of predators and prey in an ecosystem. Starting with only basic understanding…