Abstract

Due to the difficulty in conducting real-life experiments on forests, models are often used by forest ecologists to formalize the complex processes and interactions in forest ecosystems, to perform virtual experiments at scale, and to test for ecological hypotheses by validating model predictions against field or remote sensing data. In recent decades, increase in computer power has reduced constraints on model complexity and facilitated development of models with more detailed process representation. In particular, individual-based models take a bottom-up approach and construct a forest through individual-level processes, and generate stand-level patterns as emergent properties of the individual-level interactions. In this talk, I will give a brief introduction to how individual-based forest models could help answer questions about forest dynamics and functioning in response to disturbances, and what work should be prioritized to improve their representation of the disturbance processes.

E-Ping Rau is a first-year postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge. He is co-supervised by Srinivasan Keshav (computer science) and David Coomes (plant sciences). His research focuses on combining modeling and remote sensing approaches to evaluate long-term tropical forest resilience and permanence faced with natural or human-caused disturbances.