Final Study Guide

Question 1

Know the specific concerns of managers of SMALL animal populations (see powerpoint slides)

Answer 1

Comparison with conspecifics and similar species
Historical population size
A species’ life history characteristics
The amount of variation in population growth
Home range size, group size, or body size

Question 2

Endangered Species Act

Answer 2

ESA
Provides for the protection and recovery of species
Objective: To conserve to the extent practicable the various species of fish and wildlife and plants facing extinction throughout all or a significant part of their range

Question 3

SARA

Answer 3

Species At Risk Act

Provides for the protection of rare wildlife in Canada

Question 4

COSEWIC

Answer 4

Committee on the Status of Endangered wildlife in Canada

Protects endangered wildlife species in Canada

Question 5

CITES

Answer 5

Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of wild flora and fauna
Provides a program to encourage foreign governments to establish programs for conservation of specesi

Question 6

Which was the first state to enact hunting license requirements?

Answer 6

New York

Question 7

Be familiar with state’s rights doctrine and how it relates to wildlife law

• Geer vs. Connecticut
• State vs. Heger

Answer 7

Geer versus Connecticut
The state of Connecticut affirmed its right to control interstate transport of hunted game
State versus Heger
The state of Missouri affirmed its ownership over all game residing in the state

Question 8

Know what an extinction vortex is and how it relates to animal populations

Answer 8

Occurs when the interaction of both deterministic and stochastic factors increase the likelihood of a small population becoming extinct
Emphasizes the need to consider the relative importance of these different factors and how they interact in a particular case

Question 9

Know what PVA stands for, and how it relates to wildlife populations

Answer 9

Population Viability Assessment
The application of data and models to predict a series of likelihoods that a population will persist for a specified time

Question 10

Be familiar with specific methods for determining age and sex in different species, such as:
Otolith analysis
Eye lens weight analysis
Dental wear
Skeletochronology
Ptilochronology
Vulval patches
Urination posture
Size and morphological differences
Horns/antlers

Answer 10

Otolith analysis
Ear bones
Eye lens weight analysis
Can be a reliable age indicator in vertebrates because they grow without shedding cells and hence weight is directly correlated to an organism’s age
Cementum annuli analysis
Annual rings in the teeth of wild animals such as bears
Layers made when the animal goes through a period of severe food stress, such as winter. Creating annual rings for each winter the organisms has been alive
Dental wear
Wear on teeth correlating to years used
Skeletochronology
Adhesion line or annual growth layers in bones, similar to tree rings
Ptilochronology
Definition: The study of feather growth rates as an index of age in birds
The length / shape of tail feathers in waterfowl can help determine age
Vulval patches
Caribou have discoloration from vulval discharge
Urination posture
Due to morphology:
Males usually urinate forward
Females usually urinate backward
Size and morphological differences
Males are usually larger and more striking in coloring than females
Genitalia
Horns/antlers
Horns on females usually shorter and stumpier than males

Question 11

Be familiar with the ABC’s of scientific presentations

Answer 11

Aggravation - do not jam too much info on the slide, avoid small fonts, use good organization, etc.
Boredom - boring background, graphics, and wording
Confusion - can people follow your logic flow? Get the key point out first

Question 12

Be familiar with the general history of human-bear conflict management efforts at Yosemite National Park

Answer 12

“There is significant overlap between the intelligence of the smartest bear and the dumbest tourist”

Property damage by bears has fallen 92 percent since 1998, mainly due to informing (communicating with) the public

Question 13

Know the definition of a rangeland and be familiar with the general history of rangeland management

Answer 13

Plant communities dominated by grasses, forbs and shrubs

Question 14

Be familiar with the 3 PRIMARY considerations for effective rangeland management (see powerpoint slides)

Answer 14

Habitat structure (vertical AND canopy cover)
Forage species composition
Water (quality and availability)

Question 15

Know the difference between ultimate and proximate causation and how it applies to wildlife management

Answer 15

Ultimate
An individual’s abilities to reproduce, obtain food, and avoid predators
Proximate
The features used as cue when an animal evaluates a site

Question 16

Be familiar with the differences and advantages/disadvantages of experimental vs. non-experimental studies

Answer 16

Experimental research
The most powerful tool for identifying cause and effect
Should be used more in wildlife studies
Non-experimental/Descriptive research
An essential initial phase of wildlife science and can produce answers to important questions, but it must be expanded to embrace interactive causes and variable results

Question 17

Aldo Leopold

Answer 17

Thought that ethics direct individuals to cooperate with each other for the mutual benefit of all
Walden Pond

Question 18

Konrad Lorenz

Answer 18

Austrian zoologist. One of the founders of modern ethology (study of animal behavior). Worked with geese and rediscovered the principle of imprinting in birds

Question 19

Jakob von Uexhull

Answer 19

Called triggers of instinctive behaviors sign stimuli

Studied ticks and found that their sign stimuli were light, then butyric acid, then heat. This is the ticks Umwelt.

Question 20

Herbert Stoddard

Answer 20

Wrote the book: The Bobwhite Quail: It’s habits, preservation, and Increase. One of the early proponents of wildlife conservation and management

Question 21

Karl von Frisch

Answer 21

Austrian ethologist. Studied the senses of bees and their mechanisms of communication (the waggle dance)

Question 22

Niko Tinbergen

Answer 22

Dutch ethologist and ornithologist. Shared in the discovery of individual and social behaviour patterns in animals

Question 23

Wilhelm von Osten

Answer 23

The owner of the horse, “Clever Hans”. He thought his horse could do things like mathematics. Triggered the first scientific research into animal behavior / intelligence

Question 24

Be familiar with the 3 PRIMARY components of harvest management (see powerpoint slides)

Answer 24

Inventory of populations
Identification of population and harvest goals
Development of regulations that allow goals to be met

Question 25

Be familiar with the concept of inversity and how it relates to wildlife management

Answer 25

When the density of a population is low, the proportion of young increases through increased survival and through larger litter sizes

Question 26

Be familiar with the different sensory channels utilized by animals

Answer 26

``` Hearing Vision Olfaction Taste or Contact Reception Tactile Barometric Pressure Magnetic Fields ```

Question 27

Be familiar with how the emphasis has changed in range management in recent years

Answer 27

There has been a shift in focus from concern with competition of livestock with big game to concern for all wildlife species and biodiversity in general

Question 28

Be familiar with why sagebrush steppe communities are of such high concern to range managers

Answer 28

The sagebrush steppe is critical habitat for certain species at risk (e.g., sage-grouse)

Question 29

Be familiar with the ways that livestock directly impacts wildlife on rangelands

Answer 29

Influence: Plant biomass Species composition Plant community structural components Soil quality Water quality/availability Livestock can open paths for wildlife through willow-dominated montane meadow systems Grazing can impact: Uncontrolled grazing Affects the structure and composition of wildlife habitats and can lead to decreased quality/quantity of that habitat Indirect negative impacts Gradual reductions in vigor of some plants and in amount and quality of forage produced Elimination or reduction of the ability of forge plants to reproduce Reduction of elimination of important cover types and introduction of undesirable species General alterations and reduction in the kinds, qualities and amount of preferred or otherwise important plants through selective grazing, browsing, or other activities Operational impacts Impacts from management actions such as fence construction, water development, brush control, and disturbance associated with handling of livestock Livestock management practices Practices such as numbers and distribution of animals, time and duration of grazing, livestock types, and specialized grazing systems

Question 30

Know the general guidelines for designing a scientific poster

Answer 30

Don't throw too much text up there Keep it clear and simple Use a couple of simple graphs / images

Question 31

Be familiar with the GAME acronym of effective communication for wildlife professionals, and what each letter stands for

Answer 31

Goals and objectives Audiences Message and media strategy Evaluation techniques

Question 32

Be familiar with the possible negative impacts that wildland recreation can have on wildlife (see powerpoint slides)

Answer 32

``` Higher predation rates Displacement from habitats Habitat degradation Increased vigilance/energy expenditure At the expense of activities such as brooding of young and foraging ```