Quantitative Modeling of Growth and Dispersal in Population Models

In this presentation we discuss methods for inverse or parameter estimation problems which can be employed as quantitative modeling techniques in models for distributed (spatially, age, size, etc.) biological systems. In this context they may be useful in attempts to understand, elaborate on, or further refine details of specific mechanisms for dispersal, growth, interaction, etc. in wide classes of models. We have also used these techniques in a number of biologically related problems [1] such as bioturbation [12], [14], [15] and climatology [19]. In addition to an overview of ideas underlying these techniques, we shall present here brief discussions and some findings on two specific biological problems for which we are currently using them successfully.