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L&CS 122: Final Paper Outline 1. Title and Introduction a. Title: Urbanized: the forced urbanization of carnivores and its negative affect of animal behavior and survival in the greater Los Angeles area b. 1st paragraph: Thesis statement c. 2nd paragraph: Introduction i. Urbanization 1. What is an urban city? a. “Currently, an estimated 3 billion people reside in urban area and will increase to 5 billion by 2030” (Gehrt 4). b. Characteristics of an urban area i. large cities that are developed 1. pavement and building are more prevalent than grass and trees a. the only grass and trees are conserved parks and recreation centers i. landscaped wildlife 2. a metropolitan area surrounded by suburbs and near a water source 3. “Most urban areas of cities worldwide with 250,000 to 10 million people have a radius of about 70-80 km” (Gehrt 5) 4. “anthrosphere: represents human influences on the ecosystem through socio-political-economic actions” (Gehrt 5). 5. Climate a. “heat island effect” – “impervious surfaces that absorb sunlight and release heat combined with the energy from combustible fuels, results in an island of raised temperatures in and around the urban core” (Gehrt 6) i. can be a 6-12 degree Celsius difference in temperature between the city and rural surrounding areas b. affects plant productivity affects omnivores, the carnivores’ prey 6. “urban glow” or artificial light pollution (Gehrt 7) a. street lights, vehicle lights, etc. b. can change predator prey relationships making one animal adapt and become more dominant c. most carnivores are repelled by artificial light, prefer to hunt on darker nights 7. noise 8. Habitat fragmentation a. modified versus natural habitats b. humans have changed the habitat and species native to the area i. carnivores might take notice of that 1 L&CS 122: Final Paper Outline c. Dangers i. highways often separate habitats, a huge killer of carnivores, they must adapt to crossing these roads to survive ii. pollutants in the air, ground, and water iii. immune system iv. exposure to posions v. parasites: mange and heartworm ii. What is a carnivore? 1. “organisms that kill and eat another animal species” (Fuller, DeStefano, & Warren 13). a. can be plants, insects, mammals, reptiles, etc. b. “270 living species in 11 families classified as Carnivora” (Fuller, DeStefano, & Warren 14). c. breeding age ranges, but many start at a year old i. from one offspring per litter to 14 d. some are also omnivores e. have specific home ranges and breeding times i. different for male and females of the same species 2. General effect of urbanization on carnivores a. small to medium sized animals i. larger ones outside the urban area (i.e. mountain lions) b. “fast reproducing species” (Fuller, DeStefano, & Warren 18) c. flexibility in eating habits i. scraps of human food d. tolerance of humans e. evolutionary changes i. genetic isolation iii. Los Angeles area 1. How does urbanization and LA correlate a. intro of carnivores 2. Describe a. How does urbanization affect animals? b. Mountain lion c. Bobcats d. Coyotes i. often confused with domestic dogs ii. “coyotes live in packs even in urban areas..with eclusive territories across the landscape, with solitary individuals of both sexes inhabiting large home ranges that overlap one another and the smaller group territories” (“Coyotes”). 1. smaller packs in cities a. one alpha male and females and then two or three other couples b. very hierarchal coyotes either stayed in the group or wandered to other groups iii. coyotes are more densely populated than rural coyotes because 2 L&CS 122: Final Paper Outline iv. e. Condors i. How condors almost became extinct—a warning and a lead into the next section 3. Examine a. Band-aid b. Systemic 4. Conclusion. a. Long term implications b. Ecological impacts i. “…include a carnivore’s valued effects on speices and ecosystems, and the value humans place on sustaining viable carnivore populations” (Decker, Siemer, & Wieczorek-Hudenko 23). 1. what value do humans place on wildlife is shown in laws, policies, regulations 2. Endangered Species Act of 1973 a. “declares that economic growth and development can contribute to the extinction of plant and animal species that have ecological and other values to the nation and its people” Decker, Siemer, & Wieczorek-Hudenko 23). i. conservation of Yellowstone Gray Wolf 3. Conservation through game hunting or listing them as non-game, threatened, or endangered c. Economic Impact i. “Revenue generated from tourism, National Parks, wildlife viewings, etc.” Decker, Siemer, & Wieczorek-Hudenko 23). ii. Negative: eating livestock and animal habitats take up space that could be urbanized/industrialized for money d. Health and Safety i. diseases transmitted from carnivores to humans are very rare as well as injuries or death 1. caused by the carnivore populations expanding their home range because their populations are increasing, start going into urban areas ii. news coverage focuses mainly how carnivores have harmed humans rather than how humans are harming carnivores (Decker, Siemer, & Wieczorek-Hudenko 25) iii. place the blame of human injury in car accidents on animals in the road e. Psychological Impacts i. Variation over different genders, ages, and socio-economic groups about various carnivores 1. “A few studies have provided insights about the relation between psychological impacts and carnivore acceptance, indicating that higher levels of fear about a particular carnivore are correlated with lower overall acceptance of the species” (Decker, Siemer, & WieczorekHudenko 25). f. Social Impact i. “Far-reaching consequences” 3 L&CS 122: Final Paper Outline 1. all the other impacts play into the social impact a. if local population fears coyotes and the coyotes are harming them financially the locals aren’t going to want to help! b. opposite effect: positive coalition i. Louisiana black bear after it was listed as threatened 1. “The coalition is credited with creating a landowner information and training network that built support for the bear and encouraged the creation of suitable habitat. The black bear population noticeably recovered” (Decker, Siemer, & Wieczorek-Hudenko 25) ii. Wildlife Acceptance Capacity 1. basically how much of the wildlife’s behavior humans are willing to tolerate 2. “Studies often find that many people believe wilfelife agencies should be allowed to take lethal action to protect human safety…” (Decker, Siemer, & Wieczorek-Hudenko 29). 3. Risk perception a. In Zimmerman’s 2001 study negative attitudes increased as carnivores home ranges increased iii. Supporting Carnivore Conservation: Decker, Siemer, & Wieczorek-Hudenko 31 1. researchers need to understand “impact dependency” 2. identifying interest or concern with humans and apply those to impacts 3. risk-perception 4. “Co-tolerance” a. food conditioning i. carnivores coming into urban areas b. habituation i. increases homelands leads to interaction with humans ii. but should not lead to “overtolerance” that could harm humans 4