Lab 6: Conserving Dwindling Populations

Question 1

What is demographic stoichasticity?

Answer 1

random fluctuations in demography (births, deaths, sex ratio)

Question 2

What is sensitivity analysis used for?

Answer 2

used to determine where best to focus conservation efforts

Question 3

What species of sea turtle is closet to us?

Answer 3

Loggerhead

Question 4

Sea turtle characteristics

Answer 4

• lots of eggs
• high infant mortality
• long lifespan
• high fecundity

Question 5

What are conservation threats to sea turtles?

Answer 5

• nests/juveniles susceptible to predation (coyotes, raccoons, ghost crabs, armadillos, wild hogs, birds)
• light pollution
• climate change (changing ocean currents, temperatures)
• shrimp trawling

Question 6

probability of sea turtle population dropping bellow 20,000 individuals in 30 yrs without TED is

Answer 6

60%

Question 7

What is a turtle excluder device (TED)?

Answer 7

bars spaced 4in apart allow only small animals like shrimp to get stuck; prevents large fish, sharks, and sea turtles from getting captured

Question 8

probability of sea turtle population dropping bellow 20,000 individuals in 30 yrs with use of TED is

Answer 8

less than 10%

Question 9

What are some GA islands with sea turtles?

Answer 9

• Cumberland island
• St. Catherine’s island

Question 10

Where are Hector’s dolphins found?

Answer 10

Atawhai, New Zealand

Question 11

Threats to Hector’s dolphins

Answer 11

fishing (gill-nets,trawl nets) -> drowning

Question 12

Where are Hector’s dolphins critically threatened?

Answer 12

Pegasus Bay (proposal to make into a Sanctuary)

Question 13

When seeing how survival rate would increase with 50% mortality removed, how calculate new survival rate?

Answer 13

1 subtracted by original survival rate, multiple number by 0.5, subtract new number from 1

Question 14

Where do Red-cockaded woodpeckers nest?

Answer 14

in cavity in coastal longleaf pine, nest collectively and pass nest to offspring

Question 15

Why do red-cockaded woodpeckers nest in cavities?

Answer 15

causes sap to seep out of hole in tree which keeps snakes out

Question 16

If you want to increase survival rate by 5%, how calculate new survival rate?

Answer 16

original rate multiplies by 1.05

Question 17

What can you do to help 0 year olds survive that you cant really with older (red cockaded woodpecker)?

Answer 17

• keep out predators
• heat lamps (bring inside)
• provide food