title: Sensitivity analysis of transient population dynamics.
abstract: Short-term, transient population dynamics can differ in important ways from long-term asymptotic dynamics. Just as perturbation analysis (sensitivity and elasticity) of the asymptotic growth rate reveals the effects of the vital rates on long-term growth, the perturbation analysis of transient dynamics can reveal the determinants of short-term patterns. In this article, I present a completely new approach to transient sensitivity and elasticity analysis, using methods from matrix calculus. Unlike previous methods, this approach applies not only to linear time-invariant models but also to time-varying, subsidized, stochastic, nonlinear and spatial models. It is computationally simple, and does not require calculation of eigenvalues or eigenvectors. The method is presented along with applications to plant and animal populations.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department MS-34, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA. hcaswell@whoi.edu
authors.forename: Hal
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Caswell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004463:Ecology; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011156:Population Density; D011157:Population Dynamics