Population Dynamics and Monitoring Flashcards
Which 4 factors control population size?
- Birth rate
- Death rate
- Immigration
- Emigration
What are the main factors affecting birth rate?
- Sexual maturity
- Period of gestation
- Ratio of M:F
- Number of offspring (r- or k- selected)
What are the main factors affecting death rate?
- Presence of predators
- Food availability
- Water availability
- Presence of disease
How can a stable population size be represented?
B + I = D + E
How can a decreasing population size be represented?
B + I < D + E
How can an increasing population size be represented?
B + I > D + E
How is death rate calculated?
Number of deaths / number of organisms within the population
How is birth rate calculated?
Number of births / number of organisms within the population
What is a drone?
An aircraft without a human pilot which can be remotely controlled (UAV)
How are drones used in wildlife monitoring?
- Remote tracking of animals
- Land surveying through thermal imagery
- Can access remote/dangerous areas
What are the advantages of using drones?
- Provides quick results
- Less invasive than traditional techniques
- Provides a large data set
What are the disadvantages of using drones?
- Limited battery life
- May disturb many individuals
- Limited range
How have drones successfully been used in rhino conservation?
Drones have been sent to poaching ‘hot-spots’ to track down poachers and allows rangers to be deployed (also may have night vision capabilities)
What is an artificial satellite?
A device sent into space to orbit Earth which allows for surveying, information collection and communication
How are satellites used in wildlife monitoring?
- Animal tracking over large areas
- Monitors ice and forest cover
- Allows for remote tracking through GPS tagging
- Can estimate size of penguin colonies