UAlberta Math Biology Seminar: Yurij Salmaniw

Habitat loss is a key component driving decreases in biodiversity and the extinction of species worldwide. Of particular concern is human-driven habitat loss, primarily through agriculture, resource extraction, and urbanization. In this talk, I will share the key findings of my PhD work focusing on understanding the effects of various forms of habitat loss through the framework of partial differential equations (PDEs). First, I will present a habitat degradation model in a single- and two-species competition setting. Then, we connect this degradation model to a habitat destruction model in a limiting sense. We then conclude with a discussion of habitat fragmentation, what a PDE setting has to offer for this complex issue, and some ambitious goals for future extensions of this work. This is joint work with my supervisors, H. Wang and Z. Shen.