NRES 250 Exam #2 UWSP

Disease

Any alteration in the normal condition of an organism

Enzootic

disease occurs at a regular rate in an area
Intestinal flukes

Epizootic

Disease occurs at a time or place that is not expected, or at a higher rate
Hemorrhagic disease

Sublethal effects

The effects of an environmental hazard that are not lethal, but which may impair an organism's behavior, indirect mortality, or reproduction

How do diseases affect reproduction?

Some diseases can cause early abortion

Vectors

any agent which carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism

Reservoirs

the population of organisms or the specific environment in which an infectious pathogen naturally lives and reproduces

Types of management actions

Vaccinations
Regulations; ex. Baiting
Interrupt life cycle of pathogen

Viruses

Replicates inside its host, Nonliving, needs vector (Malaria)

Bacteria

Living, one-celled (Brucellosis)

Prions / Midges

Always fatal, Chronic Wasting Disease, irregular shaped proteins

Defer Grazing

Defer grazing until range plants set seed

Rest Rotation Grazing

Rest period is a year or more. Mosaic pattern seen

Continuous Grazing

Grazing. All the Time.

How do fences influence wildlife?

Fences can influence an animals ranges.

How can we modify them to be wildlife-friendly?

We can modify them by lifting the wires or moving the wires around so animals can either jump them or go underneath them.

What are Riparian Zones?

Riparian zones are areas of vegetation around a water source, usually rivers

Why are Riparian Zones important

Wildlife Cooridors, Filters,

What is a Rangeland

Plant community dominated by grasses, forbs, and shrubs

What do humans use Rangelands for?

Cattle grazing

Benefits to fire management

Succession, rotation of nutrients, clearing of non-native plants, good for species that enjoy disturbance, some species need it for reproduction

Challenges to fire management

Animal casualties, reset succession

How do we manage wetlands for wildlife?

We control the water levels of the wetlands to a specific species preference

How do target species respond to wetland management

Their populations have increased

Which species are common in wetlands

Cranes, Amphibians, Ducks, Raptors

Why are wetlands important

They are natural filters

Importance of Field Borders

Field Borders allow for wildlife habitat
Decrease erosion

Difficulty with managing on Ag Lands

Permissions, Lacking reliable knowledge, divergent goals, human wildlife conflicts, communication to the public, changes in farm conservation

How has farming changed since 1930's and how has it affected wildlife?

Larger equipment , more fertilizers and pesticides, row crop, less edges.
Wildlife has had less habitat within agricultural areas and has been severely harmed by pesticide use

Describe set-aside programs

Set aside a portion of land that is not productive for wildlife habitat. 10-15 years. Paid by the govt. For hunting.

What does Early Successional Stages Offer Wildlife

•Abundant ground cover
•Open spaces
•Bare ground
•Abundant seeds/insects

What does Brush Stages Offer Wildlife

•Young trees and shrubs
•Nesting, roosting, and loafing cover
•Seeds, fruit, insects, browse

What does a Mature forest Offer Wildlife

•Canopy may be closed
•Mast, foliage, browse, insects= food
•Trees with cavities
•Provide seasonal cover
•Provide year-round cover (conifers)
•In maintained long enough = old growth

What Does Intermediate Stages Offer Wildlife

•Canopy closed
•Sparse understory
•Trees too small for cavities
•Little mast
•Very limited food and cover when compared to other stages

Difference between whooping cranes and sandhill cranes

Whooping are endangered
Sandhill are common

Management concerns for Whooping Cranes

Only One Wild Population
Low Nest Success

Management concerns for Sandhill Cranes

Damage on Ag Lands
Eat COrn Seeds in Spring

Why is the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping cranes not considered self-sustaining

Because it relies heavily upon human intervention

What is causing the birds to abandon nests

Blackflies

Is the current management strategy of forced re-nesting working

Yes

Are colts surviving like expected?

No

Do cranes renest?

Yes

Are cranes nests successful

After a renesting, yes

The Three Dynamic Rate Functions

Recruitment (Natality)
Growth
Mortality

Recruitment ( Natality )

Addition of new organisms to a population

Growth

Addition of biomass to an individual or population

Mortality

Deaths in a population

What data is required to estimate the three dynamic rate functions

Weight
Length
Population Estimate

Density Dependent

relies upon population details

Density Independent

Weather related

Additive Mortality

total mortality increases with increase in harvest mortality

Compensatory Mortality

natural mortality changes in response to harvest mortality such that total mortality stays the same.

Standing crop or stock

number or biomass present at a specific time.

Production

biomass accumulated during a specific time interval (usually 1 year).

"Surplus" production

that portion which can be removed without adverse effects. - Theoretically anyway!

Yield

biomass or numbers harvested.

What structures are used to estimate fish age?

Calcified Structures

Calcified Structures

Scales
Spines
Otoliths
Cleithra

What structures are used to estimate wildlife age?

Cementum annuli
Anatomical measurements
Gonad development
Morphology
Coloration
Feathers

Cementum annuli

Annual deposits in teeth
Seasonal growth causes "annuli" formation
Section teeth

When and how do annuli form on calcified structures of fish and wildlife

Deposition of daily rings or circuli
Circadian rhythm (circular, 24 hrs)
Temperate regions - growth slows in winter
Daily rings closer together in winter
Faster growth- daily rings farther apart
Different in marine fish, tropics, and other cases

What are some common ways to determine sex of wildlife?

Coloration
Feel Around
Characteristics

What are some of the applications of genetics in fisheries and wildlife

Management and conservation
Forensics

Management and Conservation App. for Genetics

Population structure
Parentage
Sex determination
Individual identification
Propagation
Tagging
T & E species

Forensics App. for Genetics

Sale of illegal products

What is an allele?

Alternative forms of a gene that occupy specific locus

Genotype

genetic makeup of an organism

Phenotype

physical characteristics of an organism

Why is genetic diversity important?

Genetic diversity allows for the potential of adaptation

What is phenotypic plasticity?

The ability of an organism to change its phenotype in response to the environment.
Two organisms can have the same genotype and look physically different

Stock

Stock is a population or a group of populations WITHIN a species and are adapted to similar environments

Species

Species is a naturally occurring group of organisms that can interbreed and create viable offspring

What are the two modes of speciation?

allopatric and sympatric

Is allopatric or sympatric speciation more common?

allopatric

Evolution

Change in allele frequencies due to differential survival of offspring

Natural Selection

Leads to change in allele frequency due to death of weak individuals

Natural Selection vs. Artificial Selection

Natural Selection happens at a slower rate and occurs naturally

Artificial Selection happens quickly and occurs due to a human influence

Parameter

The actual value for a specified metric

Accuracy Vs. Precision

Accuracy - A measure of distance from true value

Precision - A measure of "repeatability" or variation

Bias

A description of inaccuracy

Mean

average

Variance

(n.) - a difference between what is expected and what actually occurs

relative abundance

the proportion each species represents of all individuals in the community

Why do we calculate relative abundance?

Assumes changes in catch or counts reflect changes in population size

Track changes in abundance using sampling program

The Ecological Roles of Wetlands

Acts like a filter
Essential Habitat
Links Food Web

Why are wetlands important?

reduce impacts of storm damage, maintain good water quality

Necessary Aspect of other ecosystems

What do fish use wetlands for?

Breeding Grounds, Nursery

What is an ephemeral Wetland

Wet only a portion of the year

How does stratification work?

Amount of oxygen and the temperature of the water at different depths

What are the layers of stratification

Epilimnion
Metalimnion
Hypolimnion

When is the warmest water on the top vs. bottom of a lake?

Epilimnion is coldest during winter and warmest during summer

Hypolimnion is coldest during summer and warmest during winter

Eutrophic vs. Mesotrophic vs. Oligotrophic

Eutrophic - low visibility, higher chlorophyll, higher phosphorus

Mesotrophic - Higher visibility, lower chlorophyll, lower phosphorus

Oligotrophic - Highest visibility, lowest chlorophyll, lowest phosphorus

Littoral vs. Limnetic

Littoral - where light reaches the bottom sediment, plants root

Limnetic - more open water, plants are unable to be rooted

Benthic vs. Pelagic

Benthic - Bottom layer of sediment

Pelagic - Open water zone of Euphotic area

Photic vs. Aphotic

Photic - Light can reach

Aphotic - Light cannot reach

Riverine Zone

High Flow Rate, High Sedimentation

Transitional Zone

Medium Flow Rate, Medium Sedimentation

Lacustrine Zone

Low to No Flow Rate, No Sedimentation, all settled

When are nutrients the highest in a reservoir

During Filling and Right after filling

Think about the concepts of trophic upsurge and trophic depression

Once filling begins, there is an upsurge in available nutrients, but once carrying capacity is severely over shot, things will die off due to the now low levels of said nutrients, leading to trophic depression