7.5 CONCLUSION
Ecologists are increasingly making use of (spatial) models. This is a relatively recent development as for much of its history ecology has downplayed space by focusing on time. Three general approaches have been taken to spatially explicit modelling of population dynamics: (a) reaction-diffusion systems; (b) metapopulation and patch-occupancy model; and (c) individual-based models. These approaches have their own strengths and weaknesses and represent, in some ways, a tractability–realism gradient. Indeed, finding an appropriate