Modelling has a central role in life sciences, as it does in all sciences. Any attempt to understand how a biological or ecological process works requires a model. Moreover, management of a biological or ecological system entails being able to predict the likely response of the system to the different actions that could be performed. Predictions can be done only by using a suitable model whose parameters are set in accordance with data obtained by means of observations, explorations and experiments on the biological or ecological process of interest.

The current trend in the study of population dynamics attempts to follow each individual in the population from its birth, through growth, dispersal and reproduction, to death. This “individual-based” approach is often computationally quite expensive, but allows life scientists to explore how the dynamics of a population or of an ecosystem arises from the ways in which individuals interact with each other and with the environment.

The notion of individual-based model corresponds to the notion in computer science of agent-based model, namely of model in which there are multiple active entities (the agents) whose behaviour is governed by a set of usually simple rules, and that are allowed to interact with each other and move in some virtual environment. Other classes of modelling notations that are well-known in computer science and that have been used to describe populations at the individual level are Petri Nets. Other recent definitions of individual based models that exploit formal notations of computer science are based on membrane systems.

The aim of the workshop is to investigate whether formal modelling and analysis techniques could be applied with profit to systems of interest for population biology and ecology. Papers are expected to present results and experiences on modelling and analysis of systems of interest for population biology and ecology. Moreover, papers by computer scientists potentially interested in this application field with a discussion on possible applications of the techniques they are used to work with, are also welcome.