Managing Wildlife Populations

1. Managing Wildlife Populations

2. Next Generation Science / Common Core Standards Addressed! HS‐LS4‐5. Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over time, and (3) the extinction of other species. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on determining cause and effect relationships for how changes to the environment such as deforestation, fishing, application of fertilizers, drought, flood, and the rate of change of the environment affect distribution or disappearance of traits in species.

3. Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resource Standards Addressed • NRS.01.06. Apply ecological concepts and principles to living organisms in natural resource systems. • NRS.01.06.01.b. Analyze the factors that influence population density and population dispersion in natural resource systems.

4. Bell Work / Objectives • Explain the relationship of populations to habitat. • Explain the concept of population status. • Explain habitat factors that affect wildlife populations.

5. Birth rate Carrying capacity Controlled hunting Death rate Habitat degradation Habitat destruction Land Use Limiting factor Population Population density Population status Reproductive potential Wildlife habitat Terms

6. Managing Wildlife Populations • What is the population of the world? • Why has the human population been able to get so large? • How is this related to wildlife management?

7. How are populations and habitat related? • Population • Used to describe the number of organisms in an area. • May refer to the combined number of all species. • Or the number of one species. • Animal and plant populations have important affects on each other.

8. How are populations and habitat related? • Population density • Measure of how crowded or sparse organisms are in an area. • Density is influenced by the number of new organisms added to the population and by the number that leave. • Birth rate • Number of young produced per unit of population over a given time. • Death rate • Number of deaths per thousand each year.

9. How are populations and habitat related? • Birth and death rates form a population curve. • Population numbers are highest in late spring and early summer after birth of young. • Populations decline due to disease, lack of food, hunting and other factors.

10. What is population status? • Population status • Overall health condition and numerical count of wildlife populations. • Healthy populations are those that have the capability of increasing or maintaining stable numbers from year to year. • These populations are relatively disease-free and adequate food is available to the animals.

11. What is population status? • Populations are directly related to reproduction success. • Reproductive potential • The ability of a population to increase. • Populations with large number of diseased or older animals have lower reproductive potential. Chronic Wasting disease has impacted deer populations in New Mexico. • Shortage of food also lowers reproductive potential. Drought in the southwest has impacted wildlife populations

12. What are the major limiting factors affecting wildlife populations? • Limiting factor • Any one action working alone, or in combination to decrease population. • Knowing this helps in management.

13. Wildlife habitat Area that wildlife needs to perform daily, seasonal, and yearly activities. Includes food, water, cover, and space. Land use How humans use or treat land. Affects wildlife. What are the major limiting factors affecting wildlife populations?

14. What are the major limiting factors affecting wildlife populations? • Habitat destruction • Total loss of wildlife habitat could occur. • Habitat destruction may result in the elimination of those animals dependent on what naturally grew on the land.

15. What are the major limiting factors affecting wildlife populations? • Habitat degradation • Reducing quality of the habitat. • Second most important factor impacting wildlife. This may occur as a result of nature or caused by man’s actions. • Accidents • Roads & highways are often the scenes of accidents involving wildlife. • These reduce the population of wildlife. • Cause considerable damage to property.

16. What are the major limiting factors affecting wildlife populations? Overpopulation • Carrying capacity • The number of animals that a particular area can safely support. • If population increases beyond capacity, there is not enough food and cover for each animal. • This can reduce health of the wildlife.

17. What are the major limiting factors affecting wildlife populations? • Controlled hunting • Used to keep wildlife populations from exceeding capacity. • Involves well planned legal hunting to maintain populations. • Dollars raised from hunting return into the wildlife management accounts in each state.

18. What are the major limiting factors affecting wildlife populations? • Wildlife management • Provides safeguards for wildlife populations and their habitats. • Offers solutions to population problems. • Provides for management of suitable habitat. • Ensures adequate food, water, and cover for all species.

20. Review / Summary • How are populations and habitat related? • What is population status? • What are the major limiting factors affecting wildlife populations?

21. The End!