 theoretical ecology is the scientific discipline devoted to the study of ecological systems using theoretical methods such as simple conceptual models, mathematical models, computational simulations, and advanced data analysis. effective models improve understanding of the natural world by revealing how the dynamics of species populations are often based on fundamental biological conditions and processes. further, the field aims to unify a diverse range of empirical observations by assuming that common, mechanistic processes generate observable phenomena across species and ecological environments. based on biologically realistic assumptions, theoretical ecologists are able to uncover novel, non-intuitive insights about natural processes. theoretical results are often verified by empirical observation, revealing the power of theoretical methods in both predicting and understanding the noisy, diverse biological world. the field is broad and includes foundations in applied mathematics, computer science, biology, statistical physics, genetics, chemistry, evolution, and conservation biology. theoretical ecology aims to explain a diverse range of phenomena in the life sciences, such as population growth and dynamics, fisheries, competition, evolutionary theory, epidemiology, animal behavior and group dynamics, food webs, ecosystems, spatial ecology, and the effects of climate change. theoretical ecology has further benefited from the advent of fast computing power, allowing the analysis and visualization of large-scale computational simulations of ecological phenomena. importantly, these modern tools provide quantitative predictions about the effects of human induced environmental change on a diverse variety of ecological phenomena, such as: species invasions, climate change, the effect of fishing and hunting on food network stability, and the global carbon cycle. ==modelling approaches== as in most other sciences, mathematical models form the foundation of modern ecological theory. * phenomenological models: distill the functional and distributional shapes from observed patterns in the data, or researchers decide on functions and distribution that are flexible enough to match the patterns they or others (field or experimental ecologists) have found in the field or through experimentation.bolker bm (2008) [http://books.google.com/books?id=yulf2kzsfemc&pg=pa6&dq=phenomenological+models+mechanistic+ecological&hl=en&ei=2engtfj4byjovqoni_gwaq&sa=x&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0cckq6aewaa#v=onepage&q=phenomenological%20models%20mechanistic%20ecological&f=false ecological models and data 
Ecological_theories Ecology Mathematical_and_theoretical_biology