Download Wildlife Science

Wild birds and mammals are
among our most valuable
renewable natural resources
•*Wildlife
•* Food
•* Furs
Wildlife serves as monitors of the
quality of our environment
Impact of individual and community
use decisions on wildlife and habitat
Stewardship=implies the
development of a personal
ethical approach to wildlife
conservation
Food Web= a diagram showing how all
living things are
interdependent
Predators
Prey
Herbivore-an animal that eats only plants
Carnivore-an animal that eats only other
animals
Omnivore-an animal that eats both plants
and animals
Generalist- an animal that eats a great
variety of food types
Specialist- an animal that eats only one
or a few kinds of food
Habitat
All living things including people, have
basic needs for survival
-Food -Air -Water -Cover -Space
Habitat-place where a plant or animal
lives which provides these
needs
Place where a wild animal lives and
grows
4 Essential Elements:
Food
Water
Cover
Space
Mast-seeds and fruits of trees
Specialist are more subject to declines in
population
Do not have the ability to switch over
and start eating a different kind of food
Availability, abundance and quality of
foods change with the seasons and
between years
Primary Ways Animals react to
Seasonal Change:
Migration-Birds
Hibernation-Woodchucks
Change of Diet
Color Shape Habit Travel
Protection from predators
Development has caused a great loss of
cover
Food Increases=Space Decreases
Food Decreases=Space Increases
Different kinds of cover may be used for
different purposes
Water
Need water to survive
Minimal requirements to major
SPACE
Is a certain sized area that every animal
needs to live
Varies from species to species
Wolf-60 square miles
Rabbit-1 acre
Some species are territorial and will
mark off boundaries
Space needs are affected by food, cover
and water
Cover can change with the seasons.
Many species need a cover/variety of
cover types through the year or through
their life cycle
Camouflage=is an adaptation of an
animal which helps it blend in with its
habitat and helps it survive
Coat & Markings
Habitats are dynamic-always changing
natural actions that become limiting
factors
Wild fires
Hurricanes
-Floods
Browse-leaves, twigs and young shoots
of trees or shrubs which animals eat.
Wildlife Management- the
manipulation of habitats, populations
and people to meet some human
purposes for wildlife
Food
Cover
Water Space
Food
Is any material taken into an animal’s
body that provides energy to carry out
necessary life functions
Plants and animals in a habitat are
interrelated
Food Web-is an exchange of material
and energy
Store Food
Inadequate amounts, inconsistent
supplies or low quality of food may be a
cause for low animal populations in a
local area
Cover
The kind of protection available within
an animal’s habitat
Breed
Hide
Nest
Sleep Feed
Habitat that is good for one animal may
not be good for others
Different animals can share the same
habitat
Some animals live in a variety of habitats
throughout their life cycle
Wildlife Populations-a group of
individuals of the same species
The health of wildlife populations is
linked to the abundance and quality of
4 primary needs:
Food
Cover
Water Space
CARRYING CAPACITY
The number of animals an area of land
can support over some period of time
*Not a constant number*
Any area of land has a limit to the
number of animals of a particular
wildlife species that it can support at a
given point in time
This is determined by limiting factors
which include the quantity, quality and
distribution of food, cover, water and
other habitat needs of the species.
Habitat-place where a plant or animal
naturally lives
Limiting Factors-any element of
habitat that is deficient and prevents
an animal population from increasing
SIZE
POPULATION
COVER
SPACE
FOOD
WATER
Regulated Hunting-is used as a means
of keeping populations at or below the
carrying capacity in order to prevent
over population and damage to their
habitat
Space availability is the key in:
CARRYING CAPACITY
ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION: the
natural process of changing of site from
one form of vegetation to another; a
progression of plant communities
through several stages of growth
Carrying Capacity: highest during
summer months-lowest during the
winter
Populations reach highest point in the
summer
Surplus-the number of animals in a
population in excess of the carrying
capacity of the land they live in/on
Items that contribute to carrying
capacity:
Move
Die Starve Mortality
Disease Predation Accidents
History of Hunting, Human Land Use
and Wildlife Management
Useful: meant any bird or mammal that
could be eaten, used by settlers for
clothing, tools or sold for its meat, fur
and feathers
Commercial/Marketing Hunting:
hunting of wildlife for their flesh or
other parts which are sold for profit in
the marketplace
Predators: any birds or mammals that
eat meat
Why to Hunt: to engage in an activity
that is challenging in terms of
knowledge of wildlife
Pittman-Robertson Act: Placed a federal
excise tax on sporting arms and
ammunition
Money used for restoration of
habitat and educational programs
1960’s & 1970’s: laws passed to protect
native endangered species
Wildlife Management emerged in the
1930’s-due to Dr. Aldo Leopold-Father
of Wildlife Management
Ecosystem-a community of plants and
animals together with their physical
environment that interact as a unit
Loss of habitat poses a serious threat to
wildlife today
Uncontrolled hunting and trapping
combined with the elimination of
habitat led to sharp declines in wildlifeHunters, Trappers and Fisherman were
the first to notice
Wildlife Stewards: people who assume
responsibility for the land and wildlife
Need to provide more protection to
wildlife habitat (waterfowl-was given 1st
consideration)
1937-Pittman-Robertson Act
Hunter Ethics: a self or culturally
imposed set of rules or norms of hunter
behavior
Fur Bearers: are a renewable resource in
that a portion of their population can
be harvested yearly without harming
the overall health of the population
Hunting: is a method used in
management to control and maintain
the populations of species at
sustainable levels
Recreational Hunting: regulated
hunting for recreational and cultural
tradition reasons rather than out of
necessity
Reasons for Hunting:
To share a mutually valued outdoor
experience with friends and family
To experience the beauty of hunting
which includes contact with nature
Conservation: wise use of our natural
resources
Roosevelt: leader in the conservation
movement which accelerated in the
protection and restoration or wildlife
KEY POINTS IN HISTORY
1920-Market hunters are put out of
business by federal laws
-making it illegal to transport
wildlife across state lines
1929-National Wildlife Refuge System
1930-Began paying new license fees
Used to manage wildlife
Set hunting/trapping season
Set bag limits
Wildlife management is accomplished
through the monitoring, manipulation and
regulation of wildlife populations, habitats
and people
Principal goal of wildlife management is
maintaining a diversity (variety) of wildlife
habitats and species with healthy,
reproducing populations
Threatened Species: species that are no
immediate danger of extinction, however
have declined enough to merit close
attention
Endangered Species: A species that is
in immediate danger of extinction
Over Exploitation: overuse of a
population resulting in its decline to
below a desirable level
Habitat Loss Contamination
Game Species: wildlife species that are
hunted
Harvest: to catch, shoot or trap wildlife
Surplus: the number of animals in a
population exceeding the carrying
capacity of the land they live in/on
Control human use in particular areas
Major aspect of wildlife management is
improving people’s knowledge:
Influences attitudes and behaviors
Work to maintain, improve and create
habitat
Education is an important way to
accomplish management goals that
seek to maximize the benefits of
wildlife to people
Promotion of the long term
conservation of animal species
Monitoring: identify the status of
wildlife populations
(#’s, reproduction, health)
Census: a complete count of an animal
population in an area
Survey: a count of a portion of an
animal population in an area:
-animal’s health
-quality of its food
Game Populations-populations of
wildlife species that are existing in an
area
Set Hunting Seasons
Bag Limits
Determines harvestable surplus for each
season
Bag Limits: Quotas of game animals
that can be legally taken daily or
seasonally
Used to regulate animal populations
annual and daily harvest
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Federal
Agency
Regulation of interstate and
international traffic in wildlife and
wildlife products
Enforcing regulations pertaining to
migratory birds
Population Dynamics-the seasonal
and annual changes in wildlife
Limiting Factors: any element of
habitat that is deficient and prevents
an animal population from increasing
All management programs are built on a
foundation of BIOLOGICAL
RESEARCH
Biological Research: careful, wellstudied and investigated in the field of
biology, undertaken to discover or
establish facts or principles
Manipulation: the purposeful
improvement or change in habitat
elements to influence wildlife
Affect animal populations
Habitat Structure
Wildlife Diversity
Tradeoffs: the idea that to manage
habitat for one use limits its capacity
for other uses
Informed Decisions: making a choice
or judgement based on solid
information rather than opinions or
emotions
Area Sensitive Species: a species that
requires a relatively large tract of high
quality habitat to maintain viable
populations of that species
Modern Hunting: governed by
principles of wildlife management
Market Hunting: Hunting of wildlife for
their flesh or other parts which are sold
for profit in the marketplace
Regulation: Control of human use of
wildlife, usually through enforcement
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:
administers the Endangered Species
Act & Wildlife Refuge System
Sport hunting and trapping: provide
funding for the nation’s wildlife
management programs
-Hunting License
-Ammo
-Other hunting related items and
outdoor equipment
11% manufacturer’s tax on
spring arms, ammo and
equipment
Used for research, habitat acquisition
and management programs
Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp:
Preservation of vital habitats
Management
The manipulation of habitats, wildlife
populations and people to meet
specific goals for wildlife
5 Management Elements:
Goals:
Describe the purpose of management
Describe the results
Objectives:
Clear, measureable definition of the
plan
Describe specific end results necessary
to meet the goals
Identify a time frame for events to be
completed
Problem Identification:
Helps to detect those problems that
will prevent managers from meeting
their objectives
Actions:
Implemented to solve the problems
that are identified
Evaluation:
Actions taken and their results is
conducted as a part of the management
process
Featured Species:
Special interest wildlife species
Stewardship
Stewardship: practicing responsibility
for the welfare of wildlife
-Individuals -Community Groups
-Government Agencies
Ecology: Study of an organism in
relation to its environment
Characteristics
Habits
Requirements
Management of living things can be
used that affect animal species either
directly or indirectly
Direct Management: Hunting of
species
Indirect Management: Manipulation
of plants and habitat
Management of Non-Living Things
Used to benefit wildlife species
Building a pond
Damming a stream
These activities could enhance the
wildlife populations
Education to influence human behavior
Education indirectly influences wildlife
Important in gaining support for wildlife
conservation
Educated public can greatly benefit
wildlife
Informed Decisions:
monitoring
manipulation
regulation
create food sources
planting fruit bearing shrubs
promoting certain types of plant
growth
Government agencies manage state &
national parks, wildlife refuge,
wilderness areas and public forests
Personal & Community action are
important stewardship of wildlife
because without support wildlife
conservation would not exist
Being an informed supporter is
important-up to date on local, state
and national issues regarding wildlife
The abundance of wildlife species in an
area is directly related to the quantity &
quality of their habitat requirements
About 90% of the potential woodland
wildlife habitat in Northeastern U.S. is
privately owned
-depends on private landowners
Support federal, state and local efforts to
develop land-use plans
Urge public officials to consider wildlife
programs
Insist on government subsidizes to fund
these programs
Reject plans to restore wildlife on
unscientific emotions