wildlife

What is Bergmann's Rule?

Homeotherms in cold climates are often larger than those from warmer regions (reduced surface-to-air ratio helps retain heat).

What is Gloger's Rule?

Animals from dry, hot areas tend to be paler in color than those from colder, wetter areas.

What is Allen's Rule?

Appendages/extremities of homeotherms are longer or larger in warmer climates (greater surface area enhances heat dissipation).

What is the Law of the Minimum?

Ecological outcomes are often regulated by whichever factor is in shortest supply (the "limiting factor"), even if other resources are abundant.

What is the Law of Tolerance?

Too much OR too little of anything (a resource or condition) can be detrimental to an organism.

What is the Competitive Exclusion Principle?

The more two species' niches overlap, the more intense their competition, and the less likely they are to coexist in the same area.

What does the logistics (logistic) curve describe?

How population growth rate slows as a population nears its carrying capacity, due to increased mortality, emigration, and reduced reproduction.

What is an "optimal habitat" vs. a "marginal habitat"?

Optimal habitat has everything a species needs at low cost/effort (preferred); marginal habitat is used by less-dominant individuals forced out of optimal areas.

What environmental cue is thought to trigger bird migration?

Photoperiod (day length).

A wildlife biologist finds a species is absent from what looks like great habitat. What questions should they ask before assuming restoration will work?

Has the habitat become isolated from other habitats? Have the animals been extirpated? Is there an environmental hazard making the area uninhabitable?

What is a "fixed action pattern"?

A behavior performed in essentially the same way every time (though it may vary slightly by sex or age).

Name the two main groups of animal behavior.

Maintenance behaviors and social behaviors.

List three examples of maintenance behaviors.

Any three of: general postures/movement, resting, comfort/grooming, feeding/drinking, urination/defecation, marking, building behavior, activity rhythms, orientation/migration.

What is "displacement behavior," and give the deer example from the guide.

An abnormal behavior signaling the first sign of disturbance — e.g., a feeding deer starts grooming (not eating) as a hiker approaches too closely.

What is an allele?

A different version/form of a gene.

What is random genetic drift?

Random changes in allele frequencies within a population, not due to mutation, selection, or migration — most impactful in small, isolated populations.

What is gene flow?

The exchange of genetic information among populations via migration of individuals.

What is inbreeding's genetic effect?

It decreases heterozygosity and thus decreases genetic variance in a population.

What is a population bottleneck?

A severe (often temporary) reduction in the number of individuals in a population.

What is the "founder effect"?

When a new population is founded by a few individuals carrying only part of the species' full genetic variation, resulting in limited genetic diversity.

What is "effective population size"?

The number of individuals in a population capable of contributing genes to the next generation (mature, reproducing individuals).

According to some researchers, what minimum percentage of wooded land coverage in food plots is needed to meaningfully affect wildlife populations?

10%.

What is mitigation in wildlife management?

Offsetting unavoidable negative development impacts on habitat by improving degraded habitat or creating new habitat to replace what was destroyed.

What is mitigation banking?

Landowners purchase credits from an approved mitigation bank instead of restoring/creating habitat on their own development site.

What is the U.S. Forest Service's recommended acreage of "openings" per 640 wooded acres?

20 acres of opening per 640 wooded acres.

Name four common methods of maintaining wildlife openings.

Burning, hand clearing, mowing, and bush hogging.

What are wildlife corridors, and name one Florida example under research.

Habitat linkages connecting isolated patches, allowing animal movement and preventing genetic isolation; Florida example: highway underpasses designed for panthers and bears.

What are two potential risks of wildlife corridors?

Increased disease transmission among populations, and easier access for predators.

What is exotic species control, and why is it important?

Managing/removing non-native species; important because exotics can out-compete natives, introduce disease, and grow exponentially without natural predators.

Why is control burning important for Florida wildlife habitat?

Most of Florida's natural communities are fire-dependent; burning sets back succession, stimulates new growth, and creates openings for feeding/movement.

What population estimation method uses listening points and assumes only males are calling?

Call counts (used for dove and quail).

What method uses eye shine at night to estimate deer and alligator populations?

Spotlight counts.

What method involves clearing tracks from a trail, then counting crossings over a set period?

Track counts.

Name three permanent marking methods for research animals.

Branding, tattooing, toe-clipping (also tail-docking, ear-cropping).

How can gray squirrels be aged?

By color variations in the tail.

How can fish be aged?

By counting annual growth rings in the otolith (or scales, less accurately).

What is a census, and why is it often impractical?

Counting every individual in a population — usually the most accurate method but often impractical due to cost/logistics.

What is the key visual difference between canine and feline tracks?

Canine tracks show nail/claw marks; feline tracks generally do not (retractable claws).

What angle do deer cut twigs at when browsing, versus rabbits?

Deer cut at a 90-degree angle; rabbits nip at a 45-degree angle.

Why do owl pellets provide useful research information?

Owls regurgitate undigested prey parts (bone, hair, feathers) in pellet form, allowing researchers to identify prey species eaten over time.

What signs indicate pocket gopher presence, and what other animals create similar mounds?

Soil mounds in trails; moles and some insects also create mounds, so mound type/shape must be examined to confirm species.

How long can American alligator eggs take to hatch, and how many eggs are typically laid?

About nine weeks incubation; 20–50 eggs per clutch.

What sound do male and female alligators use during courtship, and what other purpose does it serve?

A deep roar (male) answered by a lower bellow (female); also used post-breeding season as territorial signals.

What percentage of a Florida black bear's diet is plant material?

About 80%.

Do male or female black bears have larger home ranges, and approximately how large?

Males have larger home ranges (~42,000 acres) vs. females (~6,900 acres).

Do non-pregnant Florida black bears enter true hibernation?

No — they enter "walking hibernation" (denning) and can wake to forage on warm days; only pregnant females enter a true hibernation state.

What unique adaptation allows the bowfin to survive in low-oxygen, stagnant water?

It uses its gas bladder to gulp atmospheric air at the surface, supplementing gill oxygen intake.

Why did brown pelican populations crash before 1972, and what reversed the decline?

DDT pesticide buildup caused eggshell thinning; the 1972 federal DDT ban allowed populations to slowly recover.

What historically limited coyotes to the western U.S., and what factors helped them expand east?

They were historically a western species; extermination of wolves (open niche) and human-caused habitat changes/relocations helped coyotes expand eastward, reaching Florida.

What produces the rattle sound in an eastern diamondback rattlesnake, and can it reliably age the snake?

Interlocking segments added with each skin shed; NO — rattles break/wear off, so they cannot reliably age a snake.

What is the primary food source for the Florida scrub jay, and how many does one jay cache annually?

Acorns; a single jay harvests and buries 6,000–8,000 acorns annually.

What role does a "helper" play in Florida scrub jay family groups?

Assists the breeding pair with food gathering, feeding young, and mobbing predators; may also be positioning to inherit the territory.

At what age do gopher tortoises typically reach sexual maturity?

10–15 years old (some populations up to 21 years).

About how many other species are known to use gopher tortoise burrows as "commensals"?

Over 80 different species.

Why is relocating gopher tortoises into areas with EXISTING populations considered risky?

It can spread diseases between populations, potentially causing die-offs in both.

What is unique about the sturgeon's life history strategy relevant to river conservation?

It's anadromous (needs freshwater to breed, saltwater/estuary to live) and uses the entire river system, making it a good keystone indicator species for river health.

Describe the four life stages of a mosquito.

Egg → larva (wriggler) → pupa (tumbler) → adult.

Why do only female mosquitoes bite for blood?

They need the blood meal's proteins to nourish their eggs.

What unusual foot adaptation does the osprey have for catching fish?

It can grip with two toes in front and two in back (reversible outer toe), unlike the typical three-and-one arrangement of most hawks.

What does "delayed implantation" mean in river otter reproduction?

The fertilized egg is retained in the uterus for up to eight months before actually implanting and beginning development.

How many stomach chambers does a white-tailed deer have, and what is this type of digestive system called?

Four stomachs; the deer is a ruminant.

What two lineages of wild hogs exist in the U.S. that have hybridized?

Hogs descended from escaped/released domestic stock, and hogs descended from wild stock introduced for hunting.

Why do wild hogs spend so much time near water/mud?

They lack sweat glands and must use external means (wallowing) to regulate body temperature.

What animals are the most common wild hosts of canine distemper?

Raccoons, gray foxes, and coyotes.

Can humans contract canine distemper?

No.

What causes Lyme disease, and what is the main vector?

A bacterial infection; transmitted mainly by the deer tick (Ixodes dammini), though mice (like deer mice/cotton mice) are the most important host reservoir.

What are the main wildlife reservoirs of rabies?

Foxes, skunks, raccoons, and bats.

What is the difference between "dumb" and "furious" rabies?

Dumb rabies: lethargy, aimless wandering, weakness. Furious rabies: violent attacks on moving objects, self-mutilation.

What recommended buffer distance is suggested for boating/canoeing near bald eagle winter feeding areas (per the guide's flushing-distance data)?

Restrict boating during peak feeding times (early morning/late afternoon); canoes flushed eagles at distances exceeding 460 m, boats at 265 m (winter) and 175 m (summer).

What does the Endangered Species Act make illegal regarding listed species?

To "take" a listed species — meaning to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect it (with limited permitted exceptions).

What does the Migratory Bird Treaty Act protect?

It makes it illegal to take non-game migratory birds or their parts, including nests (covers almost all native bird species).

What is the primary purpose of the Clean Water Act?

To require permits for discharging pollutants into waterways and fund wastewater treatment facility development.

A green-backed heron population declines by 76% in an area where canoe/kayak traffic has sharply increased. What management conclusion might researchers draw?

The heron may serve as an indicator species showing when recreational activity levels have exceeded what the habitat can sustain for natural wildlife populations.