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Wildlife Ecology > Concepts & Definitions > Flashcards

Concepts & Definitions Flashcards

1
Q

Managing endangered species paradigms

A
  1. SMALL POP PARADIGM = focus on STOCHASTICITY events that effect pop dynamics and make small pops susceptible to extinction
    - PVA to estimate viability over time
  2. DECLINING POP PARADIGM = focus on DETERMINISTIC (non-random) process
    - human-caused stressors (habitat loss/frag, overharvest, pollution, climate change)

Forces that drive pop declines aren’t necessarily the same that drive to extinction. Manage for both.

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2
Q

PVA

A

POPULATION VIABILITY ANALYSIS = use of data/models to estimate persistence over time

  1. Model pop dynamics
  2. Include stochasticity (variation in demo parameters)
  3. Simulate dynamics cumulatively (threshold size, MVP)

E.g. northern spotted owl, modelling showed higher probability of decline with logging

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3
Q

COSEWIC

A

COM ON STATUS OF ENDANG WILDLIFE IN CANADA

Assessment:

  1. Doc species diversity & distribution
  2. Intraspecific diversity (designatable units, geo/gen distinct)
  3. Decide who needs assessment
  4. Quantitative criteria (IUCN)
    - abundance, range, trend, gen div
  5. Quantitative analysis (PVA, etc)
  6. Advice Min of Envt/CC
  7. If listed, immediate protections
  8. If listed, develop recovery plan
  • scientific, inform SARA (political)
  • only 18% improve
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4
Q

Failure in protecting endangered species

A
  • jurisdictions
  • BC lacks law protecting SAR
  • delays/failure to list
  • critical habitat not protected
  • no prioritization
  • little funding

Proposed oversight committee to coordinate planing/action between COSEWIC/SARA & provincial mgmt, monitor, etc

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5
Q

Large carnivores

A

Threats

  • habitat (e.g. lions savannah to ag in Ghana)
  • conflict
  • prey depletion
  • utilization

Vulnerabilities

  • range (e.g. wolves/deer Algonquin)
  • energy
  • low density
  • slow life history
  • low intrinsic rate of growth
  • conflict
  • difficult to survey

Umbrella species

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6
Q

Trophic downgrading

A

Loss of upper trophic consumers changes community structure & ecosystem function

E.g. wolves > deer > forest underbrush

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7
Q

Large carnivore conservation measures

A
  • harvest mgmt
  • protected areas (strengthen, expand)
  • mitigate conflict
  • translocation, reintroduction, captive breeding
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8
Q

Harvest managment

A
  1. Avoid overharvest
  2. Promote societal benefits
  3. Maintain ecosystem services

Yield = # individuals produced by population (overall growth, not growth rate)

MSY

Fixed-quota vs fixed-effort harvest

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9
Q

MSY

A

Maximum Sustainable Yield = largest yield taken indefinitely

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10
Q

Harvest management systems

A

Fixed-quota harvest

  • if harvest < recruitment, pop inc to equilibrium
  • if harvest > recruitment, pop declines (extinction or stable eq)
  • danger if harvest near MSY

Fixed-effort harvest

  • proportional quota, % of N
  • danger if harvest exceds max intrinsic rate of growth

GRAPHS:

  • Pop size vs Yield
  • parabola
  • harvest = horizontal line (fixed-quota), diagonal line (fixed-effort)
  • 1 unstable, 1 stable equilibrium
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11
Q

Harvest management tactics

A
  • season timing/duration
  • area regulation (Pop Mgmt Unit)
  • control effort = licenses, bag limits, lottery, etc
  • age/sex restrictions
  • weapon restrictions
  • “fair chase” (calls, lights, bait)
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12
Q

Restoration

A

RESTORATION = act of returning degraded to former condition

ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION = PRACTICE of restoring degraded ecological system

ACTIVE / PASSIVE = manipulation or not

RESTORATION ECOLOGY = process of developing THEORY to guide
- includes niche theory, pop dynamics, energy flow, community structure, etc

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13
Q

Paths to restoration

A
  1. Habitat restoration
    - wetlands, corridors, fire regimes
    - Bonn Challenge
    - assumes “they will come”
  2. Population reintroduction/aug
    - has threat been removed?
  3. Remove invasive species
    - e.g. marbled murrelet & Norway rats on Langara
  4. Restore large predators, ecosystem engineers
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14
Q

Reference conditions

A

A/biotic conditions, goal

Pre-settlement or Pleistocene rewilding

Difficulties = data, modern acceptance, identify cause, monitor

Alt stable states

Novel ecosystems = diff ecological composition & function due to changing species & envt

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15
Q

Life tables

A

LIFE TABLE = tool to analyze age-specific vital rates (fecundity, mortality, survival, etc)

Static life table = snapshot
Cohort life table = follow group, fecundity + mortality

Net reproductive rate = sum of survival * fecundity (lx * mx)
R > 1 pop inc

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16
Q

Fecundity

A

mx = # of female live births per female per unit time

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17
Q

Matrix population model

A

= bookkeeping of birth/survival using transition probabilities and matrix algebra

Leslie matrices = age-structured model of pop growth

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18
Q

Life history strategies

A

LIFE HISTORY = set of adaptations that influence survival and fecundity

  • lifespan
  • survival rate of diff ages
  • age at first repro
  • # offspring/litter

K-selected = large, slow mature, low fecundity, high survival (competitive at K)

r-selected = small, opposite (maximize pop growth rate, r)

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19
Q

Survivorship curves

A 
Type 1 (backwards r) = humans
Type 2 (\) = many birds
Type 3 (slide) = fish
20
Q

Population regulation & limitation

A

POP REGULATION = process of returning to K
- density-dependent factors (competition, territoriality, disease)

POP LIMITATION = … determining K
- density in/dependent limiting factors (severe weather)

21
Q

Density-dependent pop growth

A
  • Logistic “S” curve (time vs N)

- Growth rate declines as pop increase

22
Q

Population growth models

A

GEOMETRIC growth = discrete steps
- lambda = per capita growth rate from N1 to N2 (>1 inc)

EXPONENTIAL = J curve

  • bacteria, mice
  • r = instantaneous growth rate
  • rmax = intrinsic rate of growth

LOGISTIC = S curve

  • up to K, density-dependence
  • wildebeest/rinderpest, yeast

THETA-LOGISTIC = backwards r
- rate slows at higher density

23
Q

Intrinsic rate of growth

A

rmax = max rate of inc in exponential growth (optimal conditions, constrained by phsyiology)

Don’t want harvest to exceed rmax in fixed-effort harvest approach

24
Q

Estimating abundance

A
  1. Complete count
  2. Distance sampling (transect/point)
  3. CMR (ie. Lincoln-Petersen single recapture)
  4. Indices (indirect)
  • Assumptions
  • Probability of detection (p)
  • Detection bias (habitat, behavior, density)
  • Accuracy & precision
25
Protected Area failings
1. Not representative 2. Too small (Spec-Area Rel'p) 3. Too isolated (rescue effects) 4. Overcrowded/human use 5. Lack enforcement/funding 6. Lack community support
26
Island Biogeography
GRAPH - # species vs rate - immigration (near higher curve) - extinction (small higher curve) - far, small supports smallest pop
27
Numerical & Functional Response
Responses of predators to inc prey abundance NUMERICAL = inc # of predators FUNCTIONAL = change in predation rate/behaviour (kill more per individual, bears eating only salmon head) E.g. wolves move faster & into caribou habitat
28
Disturbance-mediated apparent competition
APPARENT COMP = two species neg. affect each other through interaction with common predator Disturbance of habitat (cc/forestry) > More forage for deer/moose > Inc # of wolves > Inc predation on caribou
29
Caribou recovery
1. Habitat protection & restore (65% undisturbed goal, partial retention) 2. Inc harvest effort for moose/deer 3. Cull wolves 4. Caribou protection (maternal penning, supplemental feeding, translocation) - longer term, adaptive management needed - ecological, economic, cultural, political issue
30
Trophy hunting vs ecotourism
- More widespread benefits (bushmeat, not just few jobs) - Better for remote locations - Smaller footprint - Management for larger populations Trophy concerns: - sustainability - age/sex ratio - ethical (canned lions) - distribution of revenue Keep all options on table (Di Minin et al., 2016)
31
Namibia conservancies
Community-based nat. res. mgmt (CBNRM) - communal conservancies (20%, '90s) - diff from National Parks Benefits - biodiversity, abundance & range - revenue ($2k per species) - jobs - bushmeat - plant products
32
Mallard adaptive management
USFWS of sport harvest ducks Collaboration of managers & scientists (Nichols et al., 2007) STRUCTURED DECISION MAKING 1. Set objectives 2. Set of mgmt actions (3 levels of regulation) 3. Models of system response (diff in mortality & recruitment) 4. Monitoring (aerial, ground, banding) Success: - reduced uncertainty - maintain population - public support
33
Structured Decision Making
Process 1. Set objectives 2. Set of mgmt actions (3 levels of regulation) 3. Models of system response (diff in mortality & recruitment) 4. Monitoring (aerial, ground, banding) Success: - reduced uncertainty - maintain population - public support (Nichols et al., 2007) Mallards USFWS
34
Uncertainty in wildlife mgmt
COUV Uncertainty, variation, control, observe 1. Ecological uncertainty = mechanisms/response of system 2. Environmental variation = stochasticity, natural fluctuations 3. Partial controllability = mgmt actions indirect, response uncertain 4. Partial observability = response estimated
35
Experimental management design
1. Object/question 2. Controls (BACI) 3. Replication 4. Randomization E.g. northern spotted owl & barred owl removal in CA - BACI design - extirpation declined after barred owls removed
36
Adaptive management
Cycle - plan, do, evaluate MGMT HYPOTHESIS = quantitative, measure against alts MODEL LIKELIHOOD = prob of observed data matching model E.g. exponential, logistic, theta-logistic curve - density vs growth rate - logistic = \ - geometric = – - theta-logistic = backwards r
37
Working lands conservation
= landscape matrix = supports biodiversity = relies on biodiversity for ecosystem functions (sustainable production, water, connectivity, etc) E.g. strawberries + orchards, hedgerows, natural areas (Kremen & Merlender, 2018)
38
Managing for coexistence
1. Less of them = lethal control, fertility control, exclusion (fences) 2. Move them = translocation 3. Move themselves = aversion conditioning, chemical repellants, diversion, habitat manipulation (remove attraction) 4. Educate people E.g. Canmore, AB - remove attractions - Wildsmart - trail closures - aversive conditioning
39
Demographic & genetic rescue
Connectivity, populations require exchange of dispersing individuals DEMO RESCUE = immigration to maintain N GENETIC RESCUE = immigration to maintain genetic diversity or effective population
40
E.g. Greater sage grouse
SARA Endangered - restricted ranged - pop/leks declined - causes = habitat frag, oil & gas/ag Recover Strategy (COSEWIC) - protect lek habitats - augment population - reduce accidental mortality - reduce predation - monitor
41
E.g. northern spotted owl
Endangered in BC - old growth, cavity nester - causes = habitat loss PVA - greater probability of decline shown in PVA modeling Lethal removal of barred owls in CA (BACI design) > territorial expansion
42
4 BC Wildlife Act species
Van Is marmot Sea otter Am. white pelican Burrowing owl
43
BC endangered wildlife legislation recommendations
- Oversight Committee - adaptive approach - Recovery Teams to prioritize actions - monitoring & reporting
44
E.g. caribou
IUCN Vulnerable - slow life history, lichen old growth - cultural keystone - 11 design units in Canada, all declining (3 in BC) - land-use conflict with oil & gas THREATS = habitat loss, increased predation (disturbance-mediated apparent competition) RECOVERY - habitat protect/restore - increase moose harvest - cull wolves - caribou protection (maternal penning, feeding, etc) Billion Dollar Caribiou (Hebblewhite, 2017) - conservation triage, too costly to protect habitat - legislation doesn't work retroactively
45
Non/heritable changes
Some animals will adapt to climate change Nonheritable changes (plastic) = physical traits not passed down Heritable = coded in DNA - E.g. tawny owl colour Allen's rule = Fennic fox ear's shrinking
46
E.g. Columbian ground squirrel
later snow melt compressed season lower reproductive success

Wildlife Ecology (4 decks)

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