ecological monitoring Flashcards
what is population growth?
-populations grow, shrinks or remain stable due to births, deaths, immigration and emigration
-populations growth rate= (birth rate + immigration) - ( death rate + emigration)
what is carrying capacity?
-greatest population that an area can support indefinitely without damaging or over-exploiting the environment
-the mortality rate changes if the population is above or below the CC, to restore the balance
what is artificial population control?
-when natural control mechanisms are no longer present
-e.g. culling overgrazing red deer in scotland as wolves have been exterminated
-e.g. introduce non-indigenous species ( could be a predator, competitor or pathogen)
-captive breeding and release programs, removal of predators
what is r-selection?
-early age of maturity
-large number of young
-semelparity
-no parental care
-a large reproduction effort
-e.g. mice, rabbits, locusts, greenfly
what is k-selection?
-delayed reproduction
-small number of young
-iteroparity
-parental care
-smaller reproductive effort
-e.g. whales, elephants, rhinos
what are advantages / disadvantages of r and k selection?
- r-selected species can respond rapidly to sudden death rate increase
- r-selected species can disperse widely, energetically cost
- k-selected species may experience a sudden population crash- may be impossible to recover from
-long lived- may be resilient to short term conditions
what are pros of satellite tracking?
-not intrusive
-improvements in tech
-generated lots of data
-essential approach for many species
-identify features for feeding, resting, breeding
what are the cons of satellite tracking?
-attaching collars
-data retrieval
-battery life
-cost
-weight
-prone to failure
what is historical tracking?
-fit animals with transmitters
-track radio signals with receivers on the ground
what are current receivers?
-receivers high above ground
-orbiting space satellite can hear a transmitter
-even if the animal is out of sight over the horizon, the satellite can hear the transmitter and respect its signal to trackers on the ground
how are animals tracked?
-radio transmitter strapped to an animal
-signal sent from the transmitter up to a NOAA weather satellite
-this is an uplink
-a signal sent from a satellite to a ground station is a downlink
-at the end of the transmission, the data is sent to wildlife researchers
what do we learn from the data?
-animal/bird activity- motion activated
-longitude/latitude- speed
-battery voltage- slows the battery chemical reaction can reveal temperature
what is photography in specialist monitoring techniques?
-camera traps have minimal impact on the habitat and are one way of ensuring wild animals don’t become accustomed to humans
-can be used to recognise individuals by facial, tail, spots, scars, stripes, fins
-provide info like territory size, population movements, lifespans, social groupings
what are motion sensitive cameras in specialist monitoring techniques?
-activity during the day (visible light) or night (infrared)
-cctv (bird nests)
-put them in trees
what is marking in specialist monitoring techniques?
-rings placed in birds legs provide info on movements and lifespan
what is auditory in specialist monitoring techniques?
-e.g. dolphins, bats and insects
-evidence of presence, abundance and activity
what are sensors in specialist monitoring techniques?
-data collected in a single location
-uses a carrier system to move sensors to the study areas:
-rov (remotely operated vehicles)
-auv (autonomous unmanned vehicles)
-balloon
-aircraft
-satellites
-animals
what are databases (dna) in specialist monitoring techniques?
-dna can identify individuals, gene pools or genetic relationships
-individuals shed dna into the environment (eDNA)
-presence may prevent new developments
-can be used to track sources of timber, elephant ivory or commercial fish
what are eDNA metabarcoding applications?
-ancient ecosystems
-plant pollinator interactions
-diet analysis
-invasive species detection
-pollution response
-air quality monitoring
what is indirect evidence?
-nest/burrows
-droppings (diet, gender, territory size)
-feeding marks (chewed food)
-owl pellets
-tracks/footprints
-territorial marks (scratching post)
what is a drone?
-small helicopter like device that can fly by remote control
-take aerial film or photographs
what are some wildlife drone uses?
-scare invasive birds from crops
-spotting high altitude nests
-counting populations
-surveying inaccessible areas
what are some terminologies to know?
-MAV= micro air vehicle, for UAVs having a mass of less than 1g
-sUAS= small unmanned aircraft system, used for UAVs weighing less than 25kg
-UAV= used for unmanned aircraft’s with a weight of more than 25kg
-can be remote controlled or can fly autonomously based on pre-programmed flight plans
what are UAVs?
-more popular for wildlife management/research:
-miniaturisation of electronics
-improvements in reliability
-affordability
what are some UAV responses?
-birds= significant effect on the approach angle
-approach speed, UAV colour, and flight repetition had no effect
-adeline penguins more alert
-physiology= black bears fitted with cardiac bio loggers - UAV flights increased heart rate by 123bpm
-not visually disturbed, but physiologically stressed
what are the types of drones?
-military
-medical
-conservation
which industries use drones?
-surveying and mapping
-mining
-engineering
-agriculture
-environmental protection
-humanitarian
what is the guide to using drones?
-first do no harm
-animals natural state
-how behaviour changes when conditions are altered
what is the code of practise?
-not enough evidence
-code of best practise in lieu of evidence
-responses are varied
-responses can be hard to detect
-responses could have severe consequences
what is the best practise?
-use institution animal ethics process
-adhere to civil aviation rules
-consider non-target organisms
-minimise visual and audio stimulus
-launch and recovery sites should be out of sight
what are abiotic factors?
-light
-water
-nutrients
-pH
-abiotic habitat provision
bats
-legislation-conserve habitats
-effects- increase predators, may get lost (leave group behind), deserting roost, too much light means they can’t eat
water voles
-why? don’t like to swim long distances, 2km of habitat, feeding
-considerations- artificial ponds, redirect water
nutrients
nitrogen
pH
acid grassland management
