This is the fourth volume in the series “Tutorials in Mathematical Biosciences.”
These lectures are based on material which was presented in tutorials or
developed by visitors and postdoctoral fellows of the Mathematical Biosciences
Institute (MBI), at The Ohio State University. The aim of this series
is to introduce graduate students and researchers with just a little background
in either mathematics or biology to mathematical modeling of biological
processes. The first volume was devoted to mathematical neuroscience,
which was the focus of the MBI program 2002–2003. The second volume dealt
with mathematical modeling of calcium dynamics in signal transduction, the
focus of the MBI program in the winter of 2004. The third volume dealt with
topics of cell cycle, tumor growth, and cancer therapy; these topics featured
in several workshops held at the MBI in the fall of 2003. The present volume
deals with a variety of topics of evolution and ecology, which were considered
in the MBI during the year 2005–2006. These topics include phylogenetics;
evolution of genes through migration–selection; ecological modeling; and evolution
of dispersal and population dynamics. Documentation of the 2005–2006
activities, including streaming videos of the workshops, can be found on the
Web site: http://mbi.osu.edu.