File Entry: Elasticity and Sensitivity of the Vital rates documentation

This documentation (tutorial to run the workflow) explains how to run a workflow that belongs to the pack with same name.

This workflow calculates the Elasticity and Sensitivity of population growth rate with respect to various vital rates. The goal in both cases is to determine which vital rate(s) has/have the most influence on population growth rate (λ).

Elasticity and Sensitivity: Sensitivity and elasticity analyses are prospective analyses.

• The sensitivity matrix: The sensitivity describes the effect on λ of changes in vital rates of the matrix. The derivative tells what would happened to λ if aij was to change, not whether, or in what direction, or how much, aij actually change (Caswell 2001).

• The Elasticity matrix: The elasticities of λ with respect to the vital rate are often interpreted as the “relative contributions” of each of the vital rates to λ (de Kroon et al 1986). For further information see: de Kroon, et al., 1986. and Caswell 2001.