Wildlife Envirothon Studying

biome

same area with certain climate and soil type

food, water, shelter, space, arrangement

The five essential elements for an organism in their habitat

• arrangement: how everything else is positioned in relation to each other

generalists

can live in almost any habitat

• raccoons and coyotes

• typically aren’t threatened or endangered

Specialists

have very specific needs

• red-cockaded woodpecker

carrion

bodies of deceased animals which provide spaces for various insects to lay eggs and provide foods for young

symbiosis

mutualism, commensalism, parasitism

resource partitioning

when a species specializes in a particular layer of habitat (low or high tree for example)

succession

aka biotic change, when habitats naturally change from one type of vegetation to another

ecotones

transitional zones where two or more communities meet and combine (contain all niches of joining communities)

edge effect

change in variety of species and number in ecotones

• interior species must have large expanses of same habitat

Riparian areas

greenway of natural vegetation along streams which help filter water pollution

fire-maintained ecosystems

kept in a certain stage of succession with fire, adapted to survive in these periodic fires

snags

downed logs which provide areas for nesting

arthropods

invertebrates with an exoskeleton and some insects undergo metamorphosis

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

uses pesticides and sustainable practices to fight specific incest pests

1. biological controls

2. nontoxic

3. chemicals

4. agricultural method

5. physical/ mechanical controls (traps)

macroinvertebrates

bioindicators

amphibians

exothermic/cold blooded and absorb moisture from environment and dependent on environment for temp

nictitating membrane

third eyelid that allows organisms to protect eyes underwater while maintaining visibility

herpetologist

study amphibians and reptiles

reptiles

depend on environment, but have no gills and breathe only with lungs

waterfoul and shorebirds

have oil glands or “powder down” patches to keep feathers waterproof

• wading birds

• Aerialists

• Swimmers

Passerine (perching) birds

songbirds

Birds of prey

hunting birds

crop

pouch in esophagus where food is stored temporarily for birds

gizzard

second chamber in stomach of bird (grit inside helps pulverize food)

altricial

helpless at birth

• precocial when covered with down and able to move

viviparous

live young

plantigrade

entire foot touches ground but short limbs (like bears)

digitigrade

toes or balls of feet (like fox)

Uniguligrade

only tips of toes (deer)

fossorial

mammals that live underground

countershading

physical adaptation where coloration of animal is darker on top part of body and light on bottom to blend in better (ex. gray squirrel)

immunity

some species develop to poisonous organisms in ecosystem (ex. virginia opossum)

thermoregulation

can regulate body temp

Aestivation

dormant state of decreased metabolism which helps animals endure hot and dry periods

crepuscular

dawn or dusk

scat

solid waste of animals

commercial forests

harvested at young age and don’t support biodiversity of old growth/mixed forest

bioaccumulation

build up of toxic chemical in tissues of organism

biomagnification

result of chemicals transferring from lower to higher trophic levels (ex. DDT)

buffer strips

strips of permanent vegetation around fields near streams to help protect habitats

• filter strips

• corridors (costa rica!)

• field borders

• streamside management zones

• riparian areas

direct manipulation

stocking, sterilization, hunting, trapping which affect population

• indirect: planting or removing vegetation/ water sources

wildlife blinds

help observe animal without disturbing them

mark-recapture studies

capture animal, mark, recapture later, to help estimate density of population

Pittman-Rebertson Act

provides funds for wildlife study, habitat restoration, and hunter education with 11% tax on hunting equipment (money used for conservation research)

Dingell-Johnson Act

funds fisheries restoration and management and hunting licenses for fish

Duck stamp act

funds for management of wetlands for waterfowl

Rabies

can be transmitted to humans and carried by warm blooded animals

Hemorrhagic disease

affects white-tailed deer caused by virus and transmitted by flies

CWD

neurological, transmissible, and always fatal that affects deer, elk, and moose

Chytrid fungus

Bd: affects amphibians and fungus of skin

Ranaviruses

amphibians and causes inflammation, transmit from one population to another

White Nose Syndrome

bats fungal disease

Migratory Bird treaty Act

illegal for people to take migratory birds, their feathers, eggs, or nest

CITES

international agreement btw gov which ensures that trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten survival

IUCN

oversees conservation and threatened species

umbrella species

their protection protects others

flagship species

symbol or icon for environmental cause

Aldo leopold

land ethic will protect species