Course Description
Foundations of population dynamics from an applied perspective.
Exponential and logistic population growth, life tables,
multiple species interactions, and basic population models.
Sampling design and analytical methods for estimating abundance
and demographic parameters. Application of population models to
harvest management and small population management. Integrative
student project required.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be required to undertake a semester-long
review paper on a topic to be chosen in conjunction with the
instructor.
Athena Title
Population Dynamics Lab
Corequisite
WILD 5700/7700
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
- By the end of this course, students will be able to develop models to forecast the impacts of environmental change and management actions on wildlife populations.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to design field studies to collect data on wildlife demographics.
- By the end of this course, students will be able to use statistical software to analyze data on wildlife populations.
Topical Outline
- I. Introduction-Populations and wildlife management. Why do we
collect data on population density and demographics? Why is
population dynamics important?
- II. Populations and population demographics-Population growth,
exponential and logistic growth, life tables, multiple species
interactions. Basics of population models. Stochastic and
deterministic models, single species, and multiple species
models.
- III. Estimating populations and population demographics-Data
collection and analysis. Sampling, experimental design,
estimating abundance and demographics, sample counts, distance
methods, mark-recapture.
- IV. Harvest Management-Theory and basis of exploitation of wild
animals. Density dependence, sustained yield theory, dynamic
pool models, and compensatory vs. additive mortality.
Management applications and harvest decisions.
- V. Small Population Management-Population and genetic
implications of small populations and fragmentation. Population
genetics, bottlenecks, inbreeding depression, gene flow,
pedigree analysis, evolutionary significant units, and
extinction probability. Management applications and endangered
species management.
Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes
Analytical Thinking
The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.
