Reflections on Modeling and Theory in Population Biology: Simon Levin

Sally Otto (UBC) and James O'Dwyer (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) interview Simon Levin, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University. Listen as Simon chats with us about how important collaboration is, especially across traditional disciplinary boundaries. Notable quote: “he [Ken Arrow] never stopped being a graduate student, and so I thought that that should be a goal”. Also, check out the shout outs to these articles:

• Most “aha” moment: Levin, S. A. (1992). The problem of pattern and scale in ecology: the Robert H. MacArthur award lecture. Ecology, 73(6), 1943-1967. 

• Importance of zooming out when modelling: Cohen, D., & Levin, S. A. (1991). Dispersal in patchy environments: the effects of temporal and spatial structure. Theoretical Population Biology, 39(1), 63-99.

• Paper you wish was better known: Arrow, K. J., Ehrlich, P. R., & Levin, S. A. (2014). Some perspectives on linked ecosystems and socioeconomic systems. Environment and Development Economics, 95-116.