Download Habitat Requirements

Wildlife Terms and
Concepts

Biotic Community
◦ All plant and animal populations living in a
defined area
◦ Composition changes over time
 Due to plant succession and climate
◦ Interact with nonliving or abiotic resources
 Together they form an ecosystem

Ecosystem
◦ Community of living things combined with
nonliving things
◦ Sizes vary
Communities and Ecosystems

Habitat
◦ Represents the physical and biological
resources required by wildlife for survival and
reproduction
 Requirements are species specific
 Change throughout the year
◦ Do not confuse habitat for habitat components
Habitat Requirements
Wildlife species that a habitat plan is
about
 Determine habitat requirements
 Evaluate capability of area to provide
those requirements
 Management practices can be detrimental
to other species

Focal Species

Species
◦ Type of organism whose members can freely
interbreed with each other and are genetically
similar

Species richness
◦ Number of different species present in an area

Species diversity
◦ Number of species present as well as
distribution and abundance of those species
Species Richness and Diversity



Involves an orderly change in species of
plants occurring in a particular area
Wildlife species associate with or more stages
6 Stages
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Bare Ground
Annual Grasses and Forbs
Perennial grasses and forbs
Brushy cover composed primarily of shrubs
Young Forest
Mature Forest
Plant Succession
Stage 1-Bare Ground
Stage 2-Annual Grasses and Forbs
Stage 3
Perennial Grasses and Forbs
Stage 4
Brushy Cover composed of Shrubs
Stage 5-Young Woods
Stage 6-Mature Woods

Areas change
◦ Plant development
◦ Disturbances
 Fire
 Grazing
 Ice and wind storms
 Lighting
 Flooding
Plant Succession Stages

3 Distinct layers of vegetation in
Forest/Woodland
◦ Understory
 Diverse and include grasses, forbs, ferns, sedges,
shrubs, and young trees.
◦ Midstory
 Primarily shrubs and trees more than 4.5 feet tall
◦ Overstory
 Trees in the canopy
Vertical Structure

Layers are arranged in relation to each
other is important to wildlife species
◦ Example: Bird may feed on understory but nest
in the over story

Structure may vary from area to area with
type of forest
Vertical Structure

Successional stages or vegetation types
are situated in relation to each other
◦ Managing the different areas within a
landscape is interspersion
 More interspersion the greater the diversity of
wildlife
Arrangement and Interspersion

Where two or more vegetation types or
successional stages meet
◦ Fields meets a forest
◦ Young mixed wood stand meets a mature wood
stand

Change can be gradual or abrupt
◦ Hayfield meets mature woods (hard edge)
◦ 30 yr old forest meets a 60 yr old forest (soft
edge)

Increased edge means increased in
interspersion
Edge

Benefits
◦ Types or stages present provide some habitat
requirements
◦ Arrangement of types or stages is suitable and
within the home range of focal species
◦ Specific vegetation types and successional
stages for focal species are in proximity
◦ Increases species diversity

Non Benefits
◦ May not provided habitat requirements for focal
species
◦ Species may avoid edges due not being
uniform
Edge

Species that need large unfragmented
areas in certain successional stages
◦ Unfragmented area of at least 100 acres is
minimum requirement
 Depends on the species

Fragmentation
◦ Disruption of vegetation types either manmade or by natural processes
◦ Wildlife did not respond to this same way
Area Sensitive Species

Home Range
◦ Area in which an animal lives
 Smaller home range the higher quality habitat
 Larger home range the lower quality habitat

Seasonal home range
◦ Animal moves from one seasonal home range
to another
◦ Long migrations
 Require available habitats along route
 Take into consideration when planning for various
species
Home Range
Areas of suitable habitat or paths that do
not restrict movement for animals to
move from areas within home range or
migration
 Examples

◦ Mule Deer
 Valleys between mountain ranges or overpasses
across
http://planetmichigan.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/
wildlife-corridors/
Corridor
Only so many animals can live in an area
 Number of animals that can exist in an
area
 Biological carrying capacity

◦ Maximum number of animals, within a given
species, an area can support before species is
negatively affected
◦ Quantity and quality of food, cover, water, and
space determines capacity
◦ Limiting factor
 Habitat requirement that is in shortest supply
◦ Varies season to season and year to year
Carrying Capacity

Well Management consists of
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦

Properly stocking the right species
Balanced harvest
Proper fertilization
Stable Water Level
Aquatic Weed Control
Pond Balance
◦ Balance between prey and predator fish is
established and maintained
 Establish an adequate food chain for prey and
controlling prey and predator species numbers
through fishing
 http://movies.netflix.com/WiPlayer?movieid=702
08922&trkid=3325854
Pond Dynamics

Stream
◦ Body of water moving in a definite pattern and
following the course of least resistance to a
lower elevation
◦ Erosion
 Water moves it carries materials that have been
picked up
 Water flow is restricted creates more erosion

Riparian Buffers
 Vegetated areas along streams and ponds
 Maintain streambanks stability
 Filters sediment from water moving
 Assist with water temperatures
Stream Habitat

Pools
◦ Habitat features for various fish that inhabit
streams
◦ Provide areas for fish to feed and find refuge

Riffles
◦ Areas of spawning
Pools and Riffles

Network of interconnected food chains
◦ Step by step passage of material and energy
through ecosystem
Food Webs

Plants that are purposely or accidently
introduced
◦ Some species limit original species
 Difficult to control or eradicate
 Impacts agriculture production, water resources,
municipal capacity, and human health and safety

Contribute to loss of habitat for native
species
◦ Challenge for natural resource management

Removal
◦ Fire, herbicide, mechanical removal, biological
control
Invasive Species