The papers in this special issue are contributions written by participants at the Second International Conference on Mathematical Modeling and Analysis of Populations in Biological Systems held 9–11 October 2009, at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The general themes of that conference were the theory, modelling, and analysis of the temporal dynamics of biological populations, with a special emphasis being placed on the modelling of epidemics. A particular focus was aimed at the effects on population dynamics of spatial or temporal heterogeneities and heterogeneities among the characteristics of individuals within the population. These themes are well represented by the papers in this issue.
More than 100 participants attended the conference, at which there were five plenary addresses, 58 invited talks, and 15 poster presentations. There also were presentations about programs at the National Science Foundation and NIMBios, the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (http://nimbios.org/). The Organizing Committee for the conference was Jia Li (chair), Jim Cushing, and Saber Elaydi. The Scientific Advisory Committee consisted of Thomas Banks, Fred Brauer, Carlos Castillo-Chavez, Karl Hadeler, and Mac Hyman and was chaired by Jim Cushing.
We would like to thank the College of Science and the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the National Science Foundation, and Taylor & Francis Group, without whose generous support the conference could not have taken place. Special thanks also goes to the editorial and production staff at Taylor & Francis (in particular, Katie Chandler, Angela Dickinson, and Ian Smith) and to Miss Ashlynne Merrifield, the journal's editorial assistant.