Handbook of Quantitative Ecology

Justin Kitzes

Welcome to the companion website for the book Handbook of Quantitative Ecology, by Justin Kitzes. This book provides a hands-on introduction to quantitative research methods in ecology and conservation. Orders can now be placed with the University of Chicago Press, Amazon, and other booksellers. Please note that a PDF eBook version is available directly from the University of Chicago Press but not from other sellers.

Handbook of Quantitative Ecology was written by Justin Kitzes, currently an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. More information on Justin's work can be found at the Kitzes Lab website.

About the Book

The goal of Handbook of Quantitative Ecology is to provide a readable, intuitive, and integrated introduction to widely used quantitative methods in ecology and conservation. Unlike other methods-focused books, all concepts are explained using only college-level algebra and spreadsheets, without requiring extensive prior knowledge of math or programming.

Each of the book's 20 chapters introduces a new idea by posing and then solving a specific ecological problem or question. The solutions to these problems provide an example of an important general concept that can then be applied more widely. Examples of questions include:

• How long will it take for this rare plant to be excluded from this community? (Lotka-Volterra competition)
• What is the chance that I've just contracted a tick-borne disease, given that I tested positive? (Bayes's Rule)
• How much is an invasive insect population likely to grow in the next decade? (Age structured models)
• Is there more roadkill near the nature reserve or not? (Generalized linear models)
• What combination of habitat types will protect the most plant species? (Optimization)

The 20 chapters are divided into five sections that cover difference equations, probability, matrix models, likelihood statistics, and a "grab bag" of mostly numerical methods.

Google Sheets Solutions

Google Sheets containing solutions to the problems in each chapter of the book are available at this link. These Sheets also contain all figures included in the book.

The Sheets at this link are set to View only mode. To make a copy of a Sheet so that you can change its contents, sign into your own Google account, open the Sheet that you are interested in, and go to File ‑> Make a copy. This will save a copy of the Sheet in your Google Drive, where you can edit it.

As noted in the book, readers are strongly encouraged to try to solve each problem on their own, beginning with a blank Sheet, before reviewing the solutions at the link above.

Errata

There are no known errata yet for this book, which just means that we haven't looked hard enough yet. If you find any issues or corrections, please email them to justin.kitzes@pitt.edu.