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Exam study > Wildlife Conservation > Flashcards

Wildlife Conservation Flashcards

1
Q

Examples of ecological catastrophes

A
  • Dramatic reduction in number of insects
  • Permafrost melting
  • Wildfires becoming extensive beyond historical range
  • Great pacific garbage patch
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2
Q

Bio-magnification

A

toxin is magnified the further up the food chain you go

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3
Q

Why do we need to estimate population sizes?

A
  • Evaluation of status
  • Changes in status
  • Effectiveness of management strategies
  • Almost all decisions in population management require information on population size and density
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4
Q

Things to consider when estimating population

A
  • Is an absolute number needed, or is an index okay?
  • Do I need a rough or accurate estimate?
  • Is a measure of density important?
  • What method is appropriate?
  • Cost?
  • Opportunity cost?
  • Ethical consideration?
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5
Q

Direct counts of population estimate

A
  • Observations
  • Counts of quadrats, driving transects, spotlighting, camera traps, etc.
  • Checking nest boxes
  • Trapping
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6
Q

indirect counts of population size

A
  • sand pads
  • diggings
  • scats
  • hair tubes
  • calls
  • nest box use
  • genetic ID of individuals
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7
Q

Schnabel formula

A

N = total (Ct/Mt) / total (Rt)
Mt = total number of previously marked animals at time t
Ct = number of caught animals at time t
Rt = number of marked animals caught at time t

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8
Q

Assumptions of Schnabel method

A
  • closed population (dispersal barriers, slow reproductive rate, slow mortality rate)
  • Equal trap-ability
  • marks do not influence mortality or trap-ability
  • independent sampling
  • no marks are lost
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9
Q

Methods of marking animals for survey

A
  • paint
  • ear tags
  • ear notching system
  • passive implant transponders (PIT)
  • leg bands (birds)
  • tow clipping
  • tattoos
  • use of natural variation
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10
Q

Transects

A
  • Covers large areas
  • Suitable for species with large home range
  • Relative estimates of abundance
  • Detect movement between habitats
  • Random or systematic placement is important
  • Sampling lines must be parallel to gradient
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11
Q

Quadrats

A
  • Cover smaller area
  • Can target particular habitat type
  • Provides estimate of abundance or density
  • Systematic or random spacing may result in some habitats/areas being missed entirely
  • Measure of density (D = n/a)
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12
Q

Considering spacing of survey technique

A
  • Distance apart is important (far enough to sample home ranges of numerous animals, close enough so each home range can be sampled)
  • Wide spacing may underestimate density
  • Ideal sample spacing depends on population density and size of home range
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13
Q

Types of traps

A
  • Cage
  • Elliot
  • Pitfall
  • Funnel
  • Leg-hold
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14
Q

Trapping considerations

A
  • Trap spacing
  • Number of traps
  • Duration of trapping
  • Local placement
  • Bait
  • Odor (re-use of unwashed traps)
  • Local placement - stability of trap
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15
Q

Invertebrate population decline

A

45% decrease over the past 40 years

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16
Q

Causes of invertebrate decline

A
  • Habitat clearing
  • Pesticide use
  • climate change
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17
Q

Why is invertebrate conservation so important?

A
  • Pollination services
  • Population control (controls invasive insects)
  • nutrient recycling
  • critical link in the food chain
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18
Q

Thermal fertility limit

A

in invertebrates it is 1.15 degrees lower than critical thermal limit (where they die) - invertebrates will become infertile in heatwaves

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19
Q

What is population viability analysis (pva)

A
  • essentially a quantitative ‘risk assessment’ for the future that is species-specific
  • estimates the likelihood of species extinction
  • estimates the minimum viable population size (for population to be self-sustaining)
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20
Q

What is PVA based on

A

models that relate a dependent variable (population size) to the independent variables that influence it (e.g. weather, mortality, disease)

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21
Q

Stochastic events that affect population parameters in PVA

A
  • Extrinsic – environmental uncertainty; natural catastrophe
  • Intrinsic – demographic influences (e.g. fecundity, mortality); genetic influences (e.g. inbreeding, variability)
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22
Q

What is quasi-extinction

A

the number of individuals below which the population is likely to be critically imperiled (known as the MVP size for PVA)

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23
Q

What is an invasive species

A

introduced species (non-native) that have a tendency to spread in the new area to a degree that causes damage to the environment, economy, and/or health

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24
Q

What is an introduced species

A

species that are not native to an area and reached that area by accidental or deliberate human activity

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25
Q

Attributes of invasive species

A
  • Rapid reproduction
  • Rapid generation times
  • Large clutch size
  • Rapid development
  • Low age at maturity
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26
Q

What are the 4 invasive species considered an extreme threat to native wildlife in Australia

A
  • Cane toad
  • feral cat
  • fox
  • feral pig
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27
Q

Invasive species case study: brown snake

A
  • accidentally introduced to Guam in 1950s
  • became extremely abundant as they were freed from population limiting factors present in native range
  • now more than 2 million snakes in an isolated ecological community
  • dangerous threat to ecology and economy of Guam
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28
Q

Impacts of invasive brown snake to Guam

A
  • 10/13 of forest dwelling bird species went extinct
  • Secondary effect: population explosion of bird prey > crop predation by insect pests > Dengue fever spread (human impact)
  • after it ate all the birds, prey switching to native reptile occurred (6/12 have disappeared)
  • changed forest composition (killing birds > less seed dispersal)
  • costs $4 million annually
  • no end in sight
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29
Q

How do we manage impact of invasive species

A
  • predator proof fencing
  • baiting
  • quarantine
  • public awareness
  • ‘training’ affected species to learn what predator looks like and how to respond
  • research to understand interactions and impacts
  • monitoring management outcomes ciritcal
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30
Q

what is a boom in ecology

A

major, rapid population increase linked to resource availability

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31
Q

what is a bust in ecology

A

major, rapid population decrease linked to resource avilabilty

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32
Q

Boom and bust species example: Pied slit

A

reliant on brine shrimp for reproduction. Only breed when there is enough rain to fill ephemeral lake for presence of brine shrimp

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33
Q

How does fire affect flora

A
  • kills tissues and individuals
  • boosts nutrient cycling, changes soil properties
  • alters population structure
  • overcomes dormancy, stimulates seed release, germination and flowering
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34
Q

How does fire affect fauna

A
  • kills individuals
  • changes food resources (nectar, browsing, grazing)
  • changes abiotic environment (thermal environment, i.e. shade)
  • changes habitat elements (vegetation cover, litter cover, tree hollows, etc.)
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35
Q

Aspects of fire behavior

A
  • intensity
  • flame height
  • crown vs understorey
  • rate of spread
  • embers/spotting
  • fire driven weather (Pyro-cumulonimbus)
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36
Q

A fire regime must account for

A
  • frequency
  • season
  • intensity (energy produced, fuel consumed)
  • severity
  • spatial attributes (patch and landscape mosaic)
  • type (canopy, ground, etc)
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37
Q

plant response to fire (traits)

A
  • life history/growth form (annuals, ephemerals, etc.)
  • re-sprouting
  • post-fire flowering
  • post-fire recruitment
  • seed persistence
  • seed dormancy and germination
  • long distance seed dispersal
  • tolerable fire intervals
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38
Q

characteristics of islands

A
  • Large dispersal barriers
  • Make up a large % of earths Biodiversity hotspots
  • New islands – provide unoccupied niches for species to fill and adapt to
  • High levels of endemism, low levels of genetic diversity
  • Varying degrees of isolation
  • After colonizing, species may evolve in the absence of certain competitors/predators = ‘radiations’
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39
Q

Why are island species more prone to extinction

A
  • Evolved features (species poor communities, predator and competitor absence)
  • Generally small populations
  • Area-limited (refuge areas small, introduced species can ‘invade’ all habitat faster)
  • Prone to bottlenecks and genetic drift
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40
Q

why use islands as ‘arks’

A
  • management option for species
  • threats on mainland currently not managed or able to be managed in the near future
  • islands mitigate extinction risk
  • predator eradication more feasible
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41
Q

risks of using islands as ‘arks’

A
  • more risky (weather, etc.)
  • limited population growth
  • prevents progressive mainland work (loss of urgency)
  • ethics
  • climate change refugees - sea level rise
42
Q

Indigenous ranger program

A
  • first funded by government in 2007
  • working on country scheme
  • 2100 jobs
  • 123 ranger groups across Australia
43
Q

Indigenous protected areas (IPAs)

A

Areas of Indigenous-owned land and/or sea country where traditional owners have entered into an agreement with the Australian Government to promote biodiversity and cultural resource conservation

44
Q

benefits of incorporating indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) into research

A
  • Thousands of years of ecological knowledge
  • As well as modern observations through connection to Country
  • Provides link between ecology and culture
  • Knowledge of remote regions unknown to Western Science
45
Q

problem with land being used for grazing in Australia

A
  • Not locally adapted
  • Land degradation
  • High water demand
  • Methane output
  • Native species displacement
46
Q

how much of global land area is used for livestock grazing

A

26% (as of 2012)

47
Q

Species of Kangaroo’s used for harvesting in Australua

A
  • Western Grey
  • Common Wallaroo
  • Red Kangaroo
  • Eastern Grey
48
Q

Quotas set by government for kangaroo harvesting

A
  • Based on prior years population estimates
  • Harvest levels of 15-20% considered sustainable
  • Set at or below these rates independently of industry demand
49
Q

why is kangaroo harvesting sustainable

A
  • Based in a sound understanding of kangaroo ecology
  • Quota limit is variable according to environmental conditions, not set (facilitates natural population fluctuation)
  • Population size post-harvest is heavily monitored
50
Q

advantages of kangaroo harvesting

A
  • ‘natural’ grazing pressure
  • Lower soil compaction (soft padded animal)
  • Low fat (< 2%) - healthier meat
  • Better adapted to arid conditions
  • Kangaroo are foregut fermenters and produce negligible amounts of GHG emissions
51
Q

disadvantages of kangaroo harvesting

A
  • Strong animal welfare lobby opposed to use of wildlife
  • Lack of infrastructure
  • Low consumer demand
  • Low prices
52
Q

What are fisheries

A

The interaction of fish with fishing gear, deployed by fishers at certain locations and times (called fishing effort), and resulting in catches

53
Q

What is the aim of the Sea Around Us initiative

A

Research/communicate the effects of fishing on marine ecosystems of the world with a focus on long-term, ecological sustainability of fisheries resources

54
Q

why do we need catch data when working on fisheries?

A
  • To understand the size of the fishery
  • To determine the value of the fishery
  • Magnitude of environmental impacts
55
Q

What are worldviews defined by

A

Ontologies (what exists in the world) and Epistemologies (knowledge of that world)

56
Q

What are some different world views

A
  • Western science
  • Indigenous knowledge
57
Q

Why restoration

A
  • Loss of ecosystem function/services
  • Trophic cascades – e.g. wolves in Yellowstone
  • Sustainable species management
58
Q

What are the three C’s of rewilding

A

Cored, Corridors and Carnivores

59
Q

What is rewilding

A

Scientific argument for restoring big wilderness based on the regulatory role of large predators

60
Q

Example of rewidling

A

De-extinction of the mammoth - aim to regenerate the mammoth steppe

61
Q

What is reintroduction

A

Releasing/establishing an organism back into its known historical range

62
Q

Planning for reintroduction involves

A
  • Habitat suitability
  • Threatening processes
  • Size of potential populations – viable? Sex ratio?
  • Long-term protection of habitat
  • Anyone else in the niche?
  • Distance from source population
  • Post-release monitoring
63
Q

Success criteria of reintroduction

A
  • Produces a viable self-sustaining population in the wild over a given time frame
  • An unsupported wild population of at least ‘x’ individuals
  • Persistence of population for ‘x’ years
64
Q

Importance of monitoring

A
  • How do we know the effort was worth it?
  • What can we learn from what worked and what failed?
  • How do we know how much more effort is needed
65
Q

BACI

A

Before, After, Control, Intervention

66
Q

Why is science communication important

A
  • Address urgent issues
  • Make science more transparent
  • Education
  • Trust in science
  • Inspire change
67
Q

AWC’s mission

A

The effective conservation of all Australian animal species and the habitats in which they live

68
Q

Who is the largest private conservation land owner in Australiua

A

AWC

69
Q

How many properties does the AWC have

A

31 (over 12 million ha)

70
Q

Example of AWC sanctuary

A

Shark Bay World Heritage Site

71
Q

What mammal species have been reintroduced into Mt Gibson

A
  • Numbat
  • Bilby
  • Shark bay mouse
  • Western quoll
  • Brush tail bettongs
72
Q

Management outside the fence of AWC’s Mt Gibson sanctuary

A
  • Cats and foxes present
  • Increasing activity due to good conditions
  • Two intentionally reintroduced mammals; several other reintroduced species detected
  • Large scale Eradicat baiting program
  • Camera array to identify cat activity hotspots
  • Targeted trapping and shooting in hotspots
  • Three Felixer grooming traps
73
Q

Why is taxonomy important

A
  • Taxonomy provides a critical framework
  • Underpins conservation, ecology, biosecurity, agriculture, health and many other fields
  • Australia is one of the most megadiverse countries (17)
  • 70% of our biodiversity remains undescribed
74
Q

Why don’t we protect marine invertebrates

A
  • Not big, cute or furry
  • Less food or fear connections
  • Less history of companionship
  • Commercial value exceptions
  • Animal ethics – interesting insight
  • Biggest contemporary threats - Over-exploitation and agriculture
75
Q

Why are marine extinctions overlooked

A
  • Species may become extinct before they are discovered
  • Lack of knowledge
  • Public disinterest
  • Lack of resources
  • Practical problems - e.g. access to environments
76
Q

Pros and cons of the flagship taxon approach

A
  • Flagship taxa focus community attention and support
  • Resources for one taxon often have flow on effects for others
  • Caters for narrow-range taxa, which may not fall into a conservation area
  • Can be used to judge the effectiveness of conservation measures
77
Q

Threats to biodiversity

A
  • Habitat loss (land use change, over-exploitation, fire)
  • Climate change
  • Invasive introduced species (weeds, herbivores, predators)
78
Q

Vision and purpose of Bush heritage Australia

A
  • Vision: healthy country, protected forever
  • Purpose: to return the bush to good health
79
Q

When did Bush Heritage begin

A

Started in 1991 when Dr. Bob Brown bought two blocks of forest in Tasmania that were destined for wood chipping

80
Q

Bottom up control

A

Limited resources for breeding and population growth

81
Q

Top down control

A

Increased mortality from predation, disease, etc.

82
Q

Managing impacts of introduced species

A
  • Manage the environment
  • Reduce resources for pests to breed (bottom-up control)
  • Reduce survival of pests by lethal control methods (top-down control)
83
Q

Effects of global warming on wildlife

A
  • Distribution shifts
  • Changes in phenology
  • Adjustment in physiology (thermal)
  • Adjustment in behaviour - behavioural trade-offs
  • Mass mortality events
  • Population declines
84
Q

Behavioural trade-offs in warming climate

A
  • Nocturnal activity > increased predation risk
  • Retreating in a burrow > missed mating opportunities (fiddler crabs)
  • Perching in the shade > lower foraging efficiency
  • Resting in the shade > reduced foraging time > fewer yearlings survive (African wild dogs)
  • Altered social interactions > male zebra finches sing less at 43 than 30 degrees > reduced mate attraction and territory defence
85
Q

What is animal cognition

A

Any mechanism by which an animal acquires, processes, stores and acts on information from the environment

86
Q

Southern Pied Babbler - example of how heat affects cognition

A
  • Took longer/needed more trials for individuals to learn the association between colour and food reward as temperature increased
  • Impairment of performance at higher temperatures
  • Reduced learning performance in adults that experienced high temperatures as nestlings
  • Reduced reproductive success in adults that experiences high temperature as fledglings
  • Long-term effects of high temperatures during development on cognition and reproduction
87
Q

Conservation implications for global warming

A
  • Thermal profile of artificial habitat structures
  • Translocations and thermal tolerance - e.g. western swamp tortoise
  • The role of cognition: pre-release or in-situ training; learning and memory in translocations
88
Q

What is anthropogenic noise

A
  • Noise generated by human activities
  • Increasing urbanisation, transportation networks, resource extraction
89
Q

Effect of anthropogenic noise on social interactions

A
  • Territorial behaviour
  • Mate preference/choice
90
Q

Example of effect of anthropogenic noise - great tits

A
  • Females prefer males that produce lower frequency songs
  • When background noise was played – females preferred males with higher frequency song
  • Acoustic masking
91
Q

What is acoustic masking

A

A reduction in the ability to detect, discriminate, or recognise a specific sound due to interference caused by another sound

92
Q

what does anthropogenic noise influence

A
  • foraging behaviour
  • vigilance behaviour
  • communication: signal production and reception
93
Q

Results of magpie study

A
  • Magpies spent less time foraging when loud anthropogenic noise was present (>50dB)
  • Magpies were less efficient foragers when anthropogenic noise was present
  • Magpies spent more time being vigilant when anthropogenic noise was present
  • Magpies vocalised less often when anthropogenic noise was present
94
Q

Information gained from population monitoring on Penguin Island

A
  • breeding parameters
  • diet
  • habitat use
  • breeding season
  • moulting
  • daily movement
95
Q

How do we know what penguins eat

A
  • regurgitants
  • DNA analysis of faeces
  • Stable isotopes of feathers
96
Q

Threats penguins face

A
  • Reduction of food availability
  • Interactions with watercraft – collisions, interruption of time on surface
  • Entanglements
  • Pollution (e.g. oil spills)
  • Disturbance of nesting sites (e.g. trampling)
  • Predators (e.g. foxes, cats, dogs)
  • Chemicals (e.g. PCBs, Heavy Metals)
  • Storms
  • Climate change
97
Q

Management of penguin threats

A
  • Reduce temperatures in nest boxes
  • Maintain arrival points – storm damage
  • Boardwalks – reduce impacts on nesting sites
  • No night time tours
  • Island closures
  • Reduce impacts with watercraft – lower speed and education
  • Advocacy for policy changes to minimise climate change
98
Q

Why is PVA useful

A

helps us to identify main threats to a population

99
Q

What are the 3 steps to PVA

A
  1. Find population projection over time
  2. Iterations of the population projection are made (100-500)
  3. The proportion of projections which reached a certain threshold (e.g. MVP) are determined
100
Q

What is considered a biodiversity hotspot

A
  • at least 1500 vascular plants endemic to the region
  • 30% reduction in habitat

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