F&W ECOL - Berkelman - Midterm #1 - UW Madison

wildlife management

the application of scientific knowledge and technical skills to protect, conserve, limit, or enhance wildlife populations

how has "wildlife management" changed from Leopold's time?

in leopold's time, it appealed to farmers and being a good steward to reap benefits

components of wildlife management

organisms, people, habitats

4 goals of wildlife management and conservation

increase threatened/endangered animals by improving habitats; decrease organisms that thrive in human environments; stabilize the idea of conservation as a sustainable use of resources; maintain native state over time in face of human use

7 taxonomic levels

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species

amphibians and reptiles taxonomic rank

animal, chordate, amphibia/reptile

characteristics of amphibians different from other vertebrates

no integument (scales/feathers/fur), skin glands, an amniotic eggs (no shell)

characteristics amphibians share w/ reptiles/fish

cold-blooded, 3-chamber heart

3 orders of amphibians

frogs/toads (no tail, short body, saltatorial, visible ear, larynx & vocal sac, herbivore tadpole to carnivorous adult) salamanders (small, 4 legs + tail, silent, nocturnal, moist habitats, carnivorous larvae & adults), caecilians (legless snakes)

conservation threats amphibians face

impacted by aquatic & terrestrial, temporary bodies of water impacted from microenvironment conditions, thin skin => uv radiation & toxins, malformations, chytrid fungus disease

frog species in WI

boreal chorus frog, bullfrog, green frog

toad species in WI

Eastern American toad

salamander species in WI

eastern tiger salamander, blue-spotted salamander, red-backed salamander

4 orders of reptiles

turtles (scutes aka scales, carapace aka space in shell, plastron aka space below shell, no teeth, aquatic, shell => few enemies, low mortality); snakes/lizards/amphisbaeneans (no limbs, no ext. ear/eyelids, carnivorous, can't chew, venom or constriction; tetrapod body form, etc. ear/eyelids, shed tail); tuatara (living fossil); crocodilians (American alligator, american crocodile)

characteristics of reptiles different from other vertebrates

don't breathe/reproduce in water, usually scales, amniotic eggs (leathery shell)

characteristics of reptiles same as amphibians/birds/mammals

cold-blooded, 3-chamber heart

reptile conservation issues

declining as a group more than mammals/birds, habitat loss, pet trade, persecution of snakes b/c of fear

turtles in WI

painted turtles, snapping turtle, ornate box turtle, spiny soft-shell turtle

snakes in WI

common garter snake, Northern water snake, bull snake, timber rattlesnakes & eastern massasauga (venomous)

lizards in WI

six-lined racerunner, slender glass lizard

characteristics of birds different from other vertebrates

feathers, wings, toothless bill, bipedal, 1-way lungs, hollow bones, oviparous (none bare live young)

characteristics of birds shared w/ reptiles/mammals

4-chamber heart, scales, endothermic

functions of feathers

insulation & flight

bird adaptations for flight

feathers/wings, high metabolism, pectoral muscles, keeled sternum, 4-chamber heart, 1-way lungs, hollow bones

birds lungs

posterior to anterior, can take in more oxygen for high flight/long migration, constant flow

types of nests

ground nests, platform nests, cup nest, cavity nest, adherent nest, covered nest

function of nests

protection from predators, anchorage, thermal cover

bird conservation threats

habitat loss/fragmentaion, pesticides & toxicants, lead poisoning, cats, avian disease, collisions, migratory bird management, game bird management, bird watching/feeding

orders of birds

waterfowl (ducks/geese/swans: mallard & canada goose); wading birds & pelicans (herons/pelicans/egrets: great blue heron, American white pelican); diurnal birds of prey (hawks, eagles: red-tailed hawk, cooper's hawk, bald eagle); chicken-like birds (turkey/chicken: wild turkey, ruffed goose); cranes & allies (whoopingg crane, sandhill crane, american coot); shorebirds (ring-billed gull, killdeer, American woodcock); doves & pigeons (rock dove, morning dove); owls (great-horned owl, barred owl); swifts & hummingbirds (chimney swift, ruby, throated hummingbird); woodpeckers & allies (downy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker); perching birds (American robin, blue jay, northern cardinal, house sparrow)

characteristics of mammals different from birds/reptiles

fur, mammary glands, developed brains nervous system

characteristics of mammals that are shared

endothermic, 4-chamber heart

3 ways of mammal reproduction

monotremes (egg laying: platypus, echidna), marsupials (live-bearing w/ pouch: kangaroos, koalas, possums), placental mammals (live-bearing w/ placenta: 94% of mammals)

3 ways mammals walk/run

plantigrade: flat feet, stability/balance, not as fast (squirrels, humans); digitigrade:walk on toes, rapid moving (Carnivores); unguligrade: walk on hooves, fast, long distance

how dental formulas are written

I/I (incisors), C/C (canines), P/P (premolars), M/M (molars)

what teeth tell us about diet

large molars/premolars: herbivore; long canines + small molar/premolars: carnivore

conservation issues of mammals

habitat loss (croplands), poaching, recreational hunting, fur trapping, large carnivores, white nose syndrome (bats), over harvest/overfishing (marine)

orders of mammals

opossum (virginia opossum), shrews/moles (northern short-tailed shrew, eastern mole), bats (big brown bat, little brown bat), rabbits/hares (eastern cottontail, snowshoe hare), rodents (white-footed mouse, meadow vole, norway rat, muskrat, American ever, porcupine), carnivores (coyotes, gray wold, bobcat, black bear, raccoon, striped skunk), even-toed ungulates (white-tailed deer, elk, moose), whales and dolphins, odd toed ungulates (horses, rhinos, pairs), elephants, manatees/dugongs, sloths/anteaters/armadillos, primates

Era of abundance

(1600-1849) few settlements, no conservation efforts, first closed hunting seasons, offer bounties on predators, livestock/guns/fur trade, frontier is inexhaustible, John James Audubon (bird artist, "The Birds of America", naturalist, shot birds to paint)

Era of Exploitation

(1850-1899) inexhaustible resource less of a reality, unrestricted market hunting, plume hunting, decimating of bison/passenger pigeons, game wards, hunting licenses, bag limits, national parks, industrialization, population growth, railroads, repeating firearms, George Bird Grinnel (naturalist & explorer)

Era of protection

(1900-1920) Teddy Roosevelt (conservationist), decline of game species, poaching, federal protection, wildlife refuges, migratory bird legislation, end of market hunting, National parks, forests, wildlife refuges, Lacey Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Gifford Pinchot (modern conservation, through sustainable use of resources vs preservation, first director of U.S. Forest Service, leopold as disciple)

1900 Lacey Act

end to legal market hunting, can't kill large numbers in one state and move to another state

1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act

first international agreement about wildlife, U.S. & CA to protect migratory birds

Era of Game management

(1930-1965) leopold's time, lack of wildlife managers, declining habitats, bounties on predators, wildlife management profession, funding for conservation, game animals, Pitman-Robertson act, J.N. "Ding' Darling (political cartoonist, duck hunter, persuaded congress to pass duck stamp act, first director of Bureau)

1937 Pittman-Robertson Act

excise tax on guns & ammo, used to fund wildlife management and conservation

Era of Environmental Management

(1966-1979) baby boom, environmental degradation, protect endangered species, clean air act, clean water act, include non-game species, Rachel Carson (author of "Silent Spring" about toxins on birds, marine biologist)

Era of Conservation Biology

(1980-present) low biological diversity, global warming, many species faced w/ extinction b/c of habitat loss, field of conservation biology, ecological literacy, ecosystem management, political confrontation, E.O. Wilson (biodiversity crisis, author of "The Diversity of Life, Biophilia", ant expert)

Pleistocene Overkill Theory

largest species "megafauna" disappeared soon after human arrival, from overhunting by early humans; Africa has most intact megafauna; animals evolved to coexist w/ human tech & social

Endangered Species Act

(1973) identifies threatened and endangered species in the U.S., and puts their protection ahead of economic considerations

7 components of North American model

- Wildlife as public trust resource: wildlife is public property, Martin v. Waddell (fish & wildlife cannot be privately owned), government are stewards of wildlife.

- Elimination of markets for wildlife: Lacey Act, restrict sale of meat and parts, wild game in stores and restaurants from game farms

- Allocation of wildlife by law: laws dictate how and when and how many wildlife you can take, programs enforce above

- Kill only for legit purpose: food, fur, self-defense, property protection, kill what you use

- Wildlife as an international resource: migratory species require cooperative management among nations, treaties regulate commerce, migratory bird treaty, convention on international trade in endangered species

- science-based wildlife policy: leopold explained 1930 American game policy needs to be based on best science available, not political

- democracy of hunting: all U.S. and CA citizens have access to hunting opportunities compared to europe

wildlife success stories

species better off now in many aspects, endangered species protection, strong conservation ethic

major events in Leopold's career

Yale => forester in AZ and NM => forest products lab in Madison => game conservationist, game survey of N central states => professor => writer

Leopold's contributions to wildlife conservation

wilderness protection (NM as protected wilderness area), phenological records, applying ecological principles to game management (game management textbook), managing wildlife populations by managing habitat, restoring damaged ecosystems (arboretum, coon valley), the land ethic

"Green Fire" passage from A Sand County Almanac

saw wolf die, changed views on wolves as predators to be killed, valuable to wildlife

Land Ethic (Leopold)

Land use policy in which human use of natural resources was compatible with biodiversity.

Ecosystems are more complex than we can understand, we can't just give and take and manage the ecosystem and it continue to thrive. "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise"

"human dimensions" of wildlife management

focus on interactions between people and wildlife or between people regarding wildlife, goal is to understand, predict, or influence human behavior regarding wildlife, social science over natural science

9 characteristics of Kellert's attitudes, demographics

Naturalistic: nature lovers, wild animals in natural habitat, satisfaction from contact w/ nature (male, rural, higher education)

Ecologistic: primary interest in maintaining natural ecosystems, focus on species/populations/habitats, not individuals (higher education, male)

Humanistic: animal lovers, oriented toward individual animals, pet owners, human qualities towards animals (female)

Moralistic: primary concern for animal welfare, animal rights (female, students, urban)

Utilitarian: focus on using animals for food, fiber, labor (farmers, male, low education, old, rural)

Dominionistic: control over animals (male, low education, rural)

Scientistic

Aesthetic: symbolic characteristics of animals

Negativistic: avoid animals out of dislike/fear/indifference (low education, old, unskilled, urban)

federal government vs state governments over wildlife

states enforce hunting regulations, have authority over wildlife in borders, fed gov has authority over wildlife when specified by Constitution, legislative acts, or treaties

Martin v. Waddell (1842)

public trust doctrine, state government holds wildlife in trust for American people, case said landowner did not have the right to prevent others from taking oysters from his land

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

migratory birds, endangered species, national wildlife refuges, national fish hatcheries, international agreements, federal aid to states

U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division

research and monitoring independent of functions that individual agents have, coordinate wildlife research at federal level, locally maintain Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units, maintain systems of national wildlife research centers

National Park Service

manage parks, monuments, seashores, historical sites, do as little management as possible, maintain natural areas in a pre-European settlement condition

Bureau of Land Management

Manage vast areas of public land, more utilitarian view, west of Rockies

agencies in Department of the Interior

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USGS Biological Resources Division, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management

US Forest Service

Pinchot as first director, Leopold in first group, multiple-use management philosophy

Natural Resources Conservation Service

out of dust bowl era when realized we weren't farming sustainably, soil conservation, sustainable farming practices

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

wildlife damage management, resolve human-wildlife conflicts on agricultural lands

agencies in Department of Agriculture

US Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, APHIS

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

game management, research, wildlife damage, law enforcement, public education/information, endangered species, manage habitats

funding for wildlife management agencies

hunting licenses and permit fees, Pitman-Robertson: excise taxes on hunting equipment

Descriptive Research vs Experimental Research

descriptive: observe events in nature, describe patterns, no testing hypotheses

Manipulative experiments vs Natural Experiments

natural: use existing nature, compare extremes over wide range of variation and observe response (ex: fires)

adaptive management

a plan that allows room for altering strategies as new information becomes available or as the situation itself changes

"citizen science" activities

bird count, breeding bird surveys (low cost, large geographic scale, get people in nature, less reliable data, don't know how to do everything or have time)

life history traits

natality, mortality, age at first breeding (smaller animals breed younger), frequency of breeding (small animals, tropics more frequent), longevity (large, slow moving animals live longer), degree of parental care (more care => longer interval between breeding attempts)

3 types of survivorship curves

type I: mortality risk at old age (large-bodied vertebrates)

type II: mortality risk consistent through life (birds/small animals)

type III: risk at yong age (fish/amphibians)

r-selected species

rapid population growth, widely fluctuating members (r=pop'n growth)

K-selected species

slow population growth, stable population size (K=carrying capacity)

species richness

number of species in a community (more in tropics and the mountains)

Relative abundance patterns

percent of all individuals in a community that belong to a given species, species-rich communities have many rare and few common species, species poor have a small number of species

terms to describe trophic levels

producers (plants), primary consumers (herbivores), secondary, tertiary, quaternary consumers (carnivores)

successional stages of plants in WI forest

bare rock, lichens, small annual plants, perennial herbs/grasses, grasses/shrubs/shade-intolerant trees, shade-tolerant trees

primary vs secondary succession

primary: bare substrate, no soil, no organisms

secondary: disturbance sets succession back to earlier stage

lambda + r relationship

lamda = #indiv at later time/indiv at time t

r = births - deaths

r = ln(lambda)

lambda, r = 1 at stable pop'n

compensatory mortality

the affect of one kind of mortality influences the affect of another source of mortality, total remains unchanged