New Features in RAMAS Metapop Version 3.0

Note: If you are currently using version 1, also see Features Added to RAMAS Metapop in version 2.0

• Windows 95 interface allows a more intuitive menu system, more memory for the program, and compatibility with printers and other software.
• You can specify multiple standard deviation matrices, each of which can be assigned to one or more populations (version 2 allows only one standard deviation matrix).
• Dispersal rates can have random variation (environmental stochasticity), specified with a single parameter, coefficient of variation (version 2 allows only demographic stochasticity in dispersal).
• Two different types of catastrophes can be modeled (version 2 allows only one type).  Each type can affect abundances, carrying capacities or vital rates, and can be regional or local in its spatial extent.
• You can give a name to each stage (these are used as labels instead of “Stage 1”, “Stage 2”, etc.).
• You can give a name to each catastrophe (used as labels).
• You can model three types of population management actions: harvest, translocation, and introduction.  You can specify up to 100 management actions (in any combination).  Each action involves a specified number or proportion of individuals and affects a specified range of populations and stages.  The timing of each action (starting and ending time steps; frequency; before/after dispersal), and conditions (e.g., translocate only if source population is above a certain size) can also be specified.
• A new type of result reports the total biomass harvested in each time step (with average, standard deviation, minimum and maximum over all replications).
• You can specify an average weight for each stage (used for calculating total harvest).
• The number of truncations in vital rates is reported at the end of the simulation.  New “advanced” options (under Stochasticity) allow two additional ways to correct these.
• You can view the results as graph or text (table), and print them on any Windows-supported printer.  You can save the results (graph or text) in disk files, or copy them to the clipboard.
• Text results copied to clipboard can be pasted to Excel spreadsheets.  Graphical results can be pasted into any application that accepts bitmaps.