EXPANDINDO O DOMÍNIO DE APLICAÇÃO DA MODELAGEM ECOLÓGICA: MODELOS COMPUTACIONAIS BASEADOS EM INDIVÍDUOS E ORIENTADOS A PADRÕES

Throughout the last century modelling has shown to be an import tool for ecological training and research. Nevertheless, the class of ecological question prone to be modeled is restricted by the model’s structure. In this work, individually  based and pattern-oriented models are presented as an alternative strategy for ecological modelling. This computational strategy enables the model to explicitly represent variability among individuals in a population and incorporate information obtained at different hierarchical levels of the study system. In this way, it is possible to model problems otherwise curbed by homogeneities assumptions or by the lack of empirical data. Three examples are used to demonstrate how this strategy is related to modern ecological research and how it can expand the domain of application for ecological modelling.