The concept and use of elasticity in population viability models [Exercise 13]

Abstract

As you have seen in exercise 12, plants, such as the western prairie fringed orchid, typically have distinct life stages and complex life cycles that require the matrix analyses associated with a stage-based population model. Some statistics that can be generated from such matrix analyses can be very informative in determining which variables in the model have the greatest effect on population growth rate and persistence. One such statistic is that of elasticity. Elasticity analysis is a type of sensitivity analysis that measures the effect of a variable on model outcomes (Burgman et al. 1993). The greater a variable's elasticity, the more a change in the value of the variable will change the value of x.,the population's rate of growth compared to other variables (de Kroon et al. 1986).

Citation

Sieg, Carolyn Hull; King, Rudy M.; Van Dyke, Fred. 2003. The concept and use of elasticity in population viability models [Exercise 13]. In: Van Dyke, Fred, ed. A Workbook In Conservation: Solving Practical Problems in Conservation. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. p. 101-108.