Wildlife Ecology
WIS 6452 (3 Credits)
Fall 2005
Lecture:
Tuesday, Period 4 (10:40 – 11:30 a.m.); Thursday, Periods 4 – 5 (10:40 a.m. –
12:35 p.m.) Room 110 Rogers Hall (ROG).
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Phone:
Email:
Class Website:
Dr. Bill Giuliano
366 Newins-Ziegler Hall
Tuesday, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.; Thursday, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.; and by appointment
352-846-0575
giulianob@wec.ufl.edu
see Teaching WIS 6452 at http://www.wec.ufl.edu/faculty/giulianob/
Course Description: Emphasis on population processes of wildlife resources in subtropical and
temperate ecosystems, and on policy processes governing management structure;
experimental testing of community interaction; emphasis on application of theory to
management.
Course Goal: The goal of this course is to get students thinking like a professional wildlife ecologist
and manager—this will be demonstrated through an understanding of basic principles of
wildlife ecology and management and the application of knowledge to solve wildlife
conservation problems.
Textbooks:
Leopold, A. 1968. A Sand County Almanac: With Other Essays on Conservation from
Round River, Second Edition. Oxford University Press, New York, NY.
Supplemental Readings: Copies of readings will be available through the library or the class website.
Readings, in addition to the text, must be read prior to the appropriate class.
Course materials: The course syllabus and other course materials will be available on the class
website. Materials will require Adobe Acrobat Reader to access and print. This
software is available free of charge at
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Access to this information is
password-protected. You will be provided the password in class.
Grading:
A (900 pts), B+ (860-899 pts), B (800-859 pts), C+ (760-799 pts), C (700-759 pts),
and E (≤699%)
Grading:
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Discussion Topics and Papers
Project
EDIS Paper
Discussion and Participation
Total
150 pts
150 pts
150 pts
200 pts
200 pts
150 pts
1000 pts
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Exams: All exams will consist of essay questions. The Final Exam will emphasize (>60%) material
covered since the previous exam, but will be comprehensive. If you are absent on the day of an exam,
you will receive a grade of zero (0) for that exam. Make-up exams will only be given if you have an
approved absence (i.e., arranged before the absence and you have a note from a medical doctor or from
an appropriate University official). You are responsible for all material covered in the textbook,
supplemental readings, lecture, discussion, project presentations, and by guest speakers.
Discussion Topics and Papers: For each topic/class period, a student will develop a list of the 5 most
important aspects of wildlife ecology and conservation related to the topic, and describe and defend
why each of these are the most important. The list will include the citation for ≥1 suggested reading
for each topic. In addition, the student will lead a discussion on a paper from the primary literature
examining the most important aspect on the list. The topic of these papers must differ from the one
assigned by the Instructor for the class (see Assigned Readings) and Projects (see below). Although
papers may be based on the ecology and/or management of a single species, place, or event, they
should provide insight into a concept, practice, or issue related to wildlife science in general. The
student will provide a critique of the paper. Critiques will be 1 page long, provide a complete citation
and brief description of the article, indicate how this information relates to previous and current
information discussed in class, and describe how this information would be used by a professional
wildlife biologist. The “top five list” and critique will be provided to the class 2 days prior to our
discussion of it, via email. In addition, the student will bring a current event/story related to the topic,
and lead a discussion of it in class.
Project: Students will work in groups researching and developing conservation plans to resolve a
wildlife issue of importance to Floridians and beyond. Topics will vary each semester and be assigned
by the Instructor. Grades will be based on a group final paper (50%) and a group final presentation
(50%). The final paper must be written as if it were a manuscript being submitted for publication in
the Wildlife Society Bulletin (see http://www.wildlife.org/publications/index.cfm?tname=bulletin for
instructions) and is due on 17 November 2005. Presentations will use visual aids (e.g., PowerPoint)
and be 40 minutes in length with 10 additional minutes for questions. Both written and oral
presentations should address the current state of knowledge on the topic, information needs, possible
solutions to the problem and the pros and cons of each, and describe a final plan to resolve the
problem.
EDIS Paper: All students in the class will work individually to produce a paper on a relevant topic of
their choice to be submitted as an EDIS document (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/). Students will select a
topic on or before 25 October 2005. The paper is due on 29 November 2005. Grades will be based on
content (50 %) and writing style & format (50 %).
Discussion and Participation: Text chapters and supplemental readings must be read in advance of
the corresponding class. Class meetings will primarily be discussion of various topics based on the
“top five lists” and readings; occasionally there will be a guest speaker. Each student is expected to
participate in all discussions.
Class Attendance & Demeanor: Attendance will not be taken during class. However, if you do not
attend class, you cannot receive credit for participation (see Discussion and Participation above).
Students who come to class late, have ringing cell phones, read the newspaper or other non-classrelated materials, or who talk (to others in the class or on cell phones) during class disrupt the class and
are not discussing and participating--Discussion and Participation grades will reflect this.
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Academic Honesty: Students are expected to become familiar with and follow current University
Policy (see http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/academic.htm).
Counseling: Students having class-related problems should regularly meet with the Instructor during
office hours or make special appointments. Additionally, there are resources on campus for students
having various personal, career, and academic problems: http://www.counsel.ufl.edu/ &
http://www.hsc.ufl.edu/shcc/.
Students with Disabilities: Every possible accommodation will be made to allow students with
disabilities to successfully complete the course (see http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drp/). Students requesting
classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students
Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this to the Instructor when
requesting accommodation.
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Class Schedule
Date
9/1
Topic
Course Introduction; Assignment of project topics; Technical writing and
publishing; Defining wildlife
History of wildlife management & conservation; What is the legal status
of wildlife?
Of what value are wildlife?; Population ecology
9/6
Population ecology
4
9/8
Wildlife nutrition
5
9/13
How & why do wildlife use cover?
6
9/15
Wildlife movements
7
9/20
Wildlife reproduction
8
9/22
Wildlife mortality
9
9/27
Wildlife mortality
10
9/29
Wildlife harvest
11
10/4
Wildlife habitat
12
10/6
Wildlife habitat management
13
10/11
Population ecology revisited
14
10/13
Leopold: A Sand County Almanac
15
10/18
Midterm Exam
10/20
Wildlife & agriculture
16
10/25
EDIS Paper Topic Due; Wildlife in rangelands
17
10/27
Forest wildlife
18
11/1
Wildlife in parks, refuges, and wildlife management areas
19
11/3
Urban/suburban wildlife
20
11/8
Project Presentation
11/10
Project Presentation
11/15
Wetland wildlife
21
11/17
Project Paper Due; Coastal & island wildlife; Exotic species issues
22
11/22
Rare, threatened, & endangered wildlife
23
11/24
No Class - Thanksgiving
11/29
EDIS Paper Due; Human dimensions of wildlife
24
12/1
Adaptive management; Wildlife policy
25
12/6
Leopold’s ideas: then and now
26
12/8
No Class - Reading Day
8/25
8/30
Reading Assignments
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2
3
12/14 Final Exam (14E; 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.; ROG Room 110)
Note: Topics will be covered in the order indicated. However, the time allotted to each topic may
vary.
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Reading Assignments*
1. Guidelines for the Wildlife Society Bulletin.
http://www.wildlife.org/publications/index.cfm?tname=bulletin; Cassey, P., and T.M.
Blackburn. 2003. Publication rejection among ecologists. Trends in Ecology and Evolution
18:375-376; Ballard, W. 2004. So your manuscript was rejected? WSB 32:625; and Dickson,
J.G., et al. 1978. Guidelines for authorship of scientific articles. WSB 6:260-261.
2. Hickey, J.J. 1974. Some historical phases in wildlife conservation. WSB 2:164-170; Jahn, L.R.
1998. Fifty years of challenges and advances in conservation affairs. WSB 26:982-992; and
Matthews, O.P. 1986. Who owns wildlife? WSB 14:459-465.
3. Rockel, M.L., and M.J. Kealy. 2001. The value of nonconsumptive wildlife recreation in the
United States. Land Economics 67:422-434; and Cunningham, S.C., and W.B. Ballard. 2004.
Effects of wildlife on black bear demographics. WSB 32:928-937.
4. Valkenburg, P., et al. 2004. Calf mortality and population growth in the Delta caribou herd
after wolf removal. WSB 32:746-756.
5. Smith, B.L. 2001. Winter feeding of elk in western North America. JWM 65:173-190.
6. Morrison, S.F., et al. 2003. Within-yard habitat use by white-tailed deer at varying winter
severity. Forest Ecology and Management 172:172-182.
7. Millspaugh, J.J., et al. 2000. Elk hunter space-use sharing in South Dakota. JWM 64:994-1003;
and Sweanor, L.L., K.A. Logan, and M.G. Hornocker. 2000. Cougar dispersal patterns,
metapopulation dynamics, and conservation. Conservation Biology 14:798-808.
8. DiMauro, D., and M.L. Hunter. 2001. Reproduction of amphibians in natural and
anthropogenic temporary pools in managed forests. Forest Science 48:397-406.
9. Tanabe, S. 2002. Contamination and toxic effects of persistent endocrine disrupters in marine
mammals and birds. Marine Pollution Bulletin 45:69-77.
10. Rollins, D., and J.P. Carroll. 2001. Impacts of predation on northern bobwhite and scaled quail.
WSB 29:39-51.
11. Harris, R.B., et al. 2002. Genetic consequences of hunting: what do we know and what should
we know? WSB 30:634-643.
12. Hall, L.S., et al. 1997. The habitat concept and a plea for standard terminology. WSB 25:173182; and Van Horne, B. 1983. Density as a misleading indicator of habitat quality. JWM
47:893-901.
13. MacFaden, S.W., and D.E. Capen. 2002. Avian habitat relationships at multiple scales in a New
England forest. Forest Science 48:243-253; Guthery, F.S. 1997. A philosophy of habitat
management for northern bobwhite. JWM 61:291-301; and Williams, C.K., et al. 2004. The
northern bobwhite decline: scaling our management for the twenty-first century. WSB 32:861869.
14. Walters, J.R., et al. 2002. Population viability analysis for red-cockaded woodpeckers using an
individual-based model. Ecological Applications 12:249-260; and Caughley, G. 1979. What is
this thing called carrying capacity? Pages 2-8 in M.S. Boyce and L.D. Hayden-Wing, editors.
North American elk: ecology, behavior and management.
15. Leopold, A. 1968. A Sand County Almanac: With Other Essays on Conservation from Round
River.
16. Giuliano, W.M., and S.E. Daves. 2002. Avian response to warm-season grass use in pasture
and hayfield management. Biological Conservation 106:1-9; and McGuire, B. 2003.
Conservation and the new farm bill. Missouri Conservationist 64(2):12-16.
17. Giuliano, W.M., and J.D. Homyack. 2004. Effects of short-term grazing exclusion on riparian
small mammal communities. Journal of Range Management 57:346-350.
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18. DeStefano, S. 2002. Regional and national issues for forest wildlife research and management.
Forest Science 48:181-189.
19. Wright, R.G. 1998. A review of the relationships between visitors and ungulates in national
parks. WSB 26:471-476; and Kassilly, F.N. 2003. Visitor behaviors and wildlife impacts in
Kenya: perceptions of wardens. Human Dimensions of Wildlife 8:159-160.
20. Marzluff, J.M., and K. Ewing. 2001. Restoration of fragmented landscapes for the conservation
of birds: a general framework and specific recommendations for urbanizing landscapes.
Restoration Ecology 9:280-292.
21. Haukos, D.A., and L.M. Smith. 2003. Past and present impacts of wetland regulation on playa
ecology in the southern great plains. Wetlands 23:577-589.
22. Tobey, J., and R. Volk. 2002. Learning frontiers in the practice of integrated coastal
management. Coastal Management 30:285-298; and Kinnear, J.E., et al. 2002. The red fox in
Australia—an exotic predator turned biological control agent. Biological Conservation
108:335-359.
23. Wallace, R.L., and T.W. Clark. 2002. Solving problems in endangered species conservation: an
introduction to problem orientation. Endangered Species Update 19:81-86; and Peterson, M.N.,
et al. 2002. Cultural conflict and the endangered Florida Key deer. JWM 66:947-968.
24. Riley, S.J., et al. 2002. The essence of wildlife management. WSB 585-593.
25. Williams, B.K. 2003. Policy, Research, and adaptive management. Auk 120:212-217; Lancia,
R.A., et al. 1996. ARM! For the future: adaptive management in the wildlife profession. WSB
24:436-442; and Burke, C.A., and T.M. Franklin. 2004. Policy news: national petroleum
reserve…endangered species…migratory birds…conservation funding. WSB 32:964-968.
26. Leopold, A.C. 2004. Living with the land ethic. BioScience 54(2):149-154; Knight, R.L. 1996.
Aldo Leopold, the land ethic, and ecosystem management. JWM 60:471-474; and MacCleery,
D.W. 2000. Aldo Leopold’s land ethic: is it only half a loaf? Journal of Forestry 98(October):57.
* WSB = Wildlife Society Bulletin; and JWM = Journal of Wildlife Management.
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