Tech Wildlife Exam 2

Hypothesis

a tentative answer to the question; a preliminary explanation for an observed phenomenon

a hypothesis must be…?

testable and falsifiable

scientific method

observations → question→ hypothesis→ prediction → test experiment or additional observation

if the test does not support hypothesis: revise hypothesis or pose new one

if the test does support hypothesis: make additional predictions and test them

descriptive research

an essential, initial phase of wildlife science

broad objectives

provides “what” information

reports about associations

experimental research

powerful tool for explaining wildlife relationships

specific hypotheses

provides “why” information

explains the relationship between an organism and its environment

age determination (4)

dentition, skeletochronology/cementum annuli, eye lens weight, appearance & body size

sex determination (7)

calls/songs, visual displays, nursing/clutch incubation/presence of offspring, sex organs, appearance & body size, genetics, behavior

zoonoses

any infectious disease that is able to be transmitted from other animals, both wild and domestic, to humans

epidemic/epizootic

a level of disease that is above “normal” expected baseline levels

endemic/enzootic

a disease that is present in an animal community over the long term and refers to the “usual” frequency of disease in a population

prevalence

number of existing cases of a disease in a known population

incidence

number of new cases of a disease in a known population over a specified period of time

epidemiology/epizootiology

study of the elements that contribute to the occurrence or non-occurrence of disease in a population

disease

a disturbance to the normal function or structure of an animal

pathogen

a disease-spreading agent such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi

reservoirs

the “pool” of pathogens harbored in wildlife populations that serves as a source of infection

vectors

organisms that transmit a disease within and between populations (usually an insect or another arthropod; e.g. ticks)

3 key factors of disease

agent (infectious), host (susceptible), and environment (amenable)

disease and endangered animals

is particularly concerning since it can push them past the brink

disease in wildlife populations

rarely a simple, one-cause, one-effect situation, but a product of profound changes in the environment

two categories of error in estimating population

detection (camouflaged, nocturnal)

sampling (bias; easy to get to, trap happy/avoidant)

CMR

Capture mark resight; common capture method

MCP

minimum convex polygon; range size

mortality

death of an individual

density dependent mortality

caused by factors such as predation or limited food supplies

density independent mortality

independent of the population level

natural mortality

caused by predation, starvation, diseases, accidents, or other natural causes

human caused mortality

due to humans either directly or indirectly

total mortality

sum of natural and harvest

compensatory mortality

an increase or decrease in one form of mortality that compensates for an increase or decrease in another form of mortality (polar bears)

additive mortality

when harvest mortality results in a higher total mortality than what would have been natural alone

carrying capacity

the maximum biomass that can be sustained within a defined area throughout a specific period of time

population

a group of animals that occupy a certain area at a certain time as defined by the people interested in the group

abundance

the number of individuals present

population density

the number of individuals per unit area

census

a complete count of an entire population of animals; true censuses are relatively rare in wildlife research

population estimate

a numerical approximation of a true population size calculated from sample data collected from a sampled population of animals

population estimator

a mathematical formula or expression used to compute a population estimate

population closure

refers to the absence of births, deaths, emigration, and immigration over the period of interest

observability

the probability that a member of the sampled population is detected

parameter

a number that describes something about an entire group or population such as death rate

estimate

a calculation of the size of a population for a year between census periods or for the current year

bias

the difference between the expected value of an estimator and the true quantity of interest

precision

the variation in estimates obtained from repeated samples

accuracy

a measure of how close an estimate tends to be to the true quantity of interest

variance

the average of the squared deviations between a population estimate repeated many times

standard error

the square root of the variance, another measure of precision

Why capture wildlife?

wildlife management efforts, research studies, population regulation, disease control programs

passive capture

mist nets, leg hold traps, snares, box traps, pit traps, etc

active capture

net gun, rocket nets, drop nets, drugs, electrofishing, etc.

goal of immobilization

decrease injury, pain, and stress to both animal and handler

immobilization

should be used as a last resort; just because its immobilized doesn’t mean its safe to handle

pros of immobilization

research and less trauma when handling

cons of immobilization

expensive, cant determine health of animal prior to drugging, animals can react poorly to drug, capture myopathy, injure themselves, more susceptible to predation, disrupt social relations and structure, human risk

ways to administer drugs

syringe, jab stick/pole syringe, blow gun, dart gun

analgesic

painkiller; provides relief from pain (codeine, morphine, etc)

anesthetic

drug that causes anesthesia; loss of sensation

sedative

tranquilizer; substance that induces sedation; may induce sleep at higher amounts

palliative

providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, physical stress, and mental stress of a serious illness

capture myopathy

a syndrome of acute or chronic degradation of muscle tissue resulting from stressful activity such as pursuit, capture, or handling of a susceptible animal

desirable marker characteristics are those that (7):

cause minimal pain and stress, have no negative effects on survival or behavior, have good retention, are easy to recognize, are easy to apply, are easy to obtain and assemble, and are inexpensive

GIS

Geographic information systems

a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of spatial data

GPS

global positioning systems

a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites

remote sensing (LandSat, LiDAR, NAIP)

the science of obtaining the physical properties of an area without being there. It allows users to capture, visualize, and analyze objects and features on the Earth’s surface.

Landsat 9

provides imagery on a regular basis and is the first platform to provide multispectral imagery for large regions of the earth

NAIP

a program to acquire peak growing season “leaf on” imagery and deliver this imagery to USDA County Service Centers, in order to maintain the common land unit (CLU) boundaries and assist with farm programs

LiDAR

remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analyzing the reflected light