Course Goals and Objectives

The goal of this course is to provide you with a fundamental understanding of the ecology and management of upland wildlife habitats. We will achieve this goal by completing several objectives including, 1) exposure and contemplation of the existing knowledge through lectures and readings, 2) practical application of information through lab exercises and projects, and 3) synthesis of this knowledge through written exams and a field trip. My intent is to offer you "tools" for finding answers to habitat management questions, rather than giving you hard-fast rules.

Reading Assignments

There is no text for the course. I have put together a reading list composed of scientific papers and book chapters. Most of the reading material is in the reading packet which is available at the book store. Some of the readings are on reserve at the library.

Labs

Practical exercises in sampling and measuring wildlife habitat will be the foci of labs (See Lab Schedule). For outdoor labs you will need a clipboard, rain gear, outdoor clothing, good boots, and a positive attitude in soggy conditions.

A weekend field trip is scheduled for 7-9 February . Exact times for departure and return will be discussed in class. The purpose of the trip will be to explore approaches to measuring wildlife-habitat relationships. The trip is mandatory.

Grading

Evaluation will be based on two midterm exams (100 its. each), a final exam (150 its), two lab exercises (25 its each), data from the field trip (25 its), one lab project (100 its), and a verbal presentation of your research results (25 its). Thus, grades will be based on a total of 550 points, lecture and lab points will be combined.
 
 

Date Topic Reading

22 Jan. Introduction Vankat 1979

27 Habitat: Definitions and Approaches Morrison et al. pp. 3-15

29 Theoretical Basis of Habitat Selection Hilden 1965, Wecker 1963

3 Feb. Theoretical Basis of Habitat Selection Svardson 1949, Wiens 1989¹

5 Niche Theory Whittaker et al. 1973, Hutchinson 1972¹

10 Levels of Habitat Analysis Hutto 1985

12 Scale considerations in Habitat Analysis Wiens 1981

17 Habitat Use vs Availability Alldredge and Ratti 1986

19 Habitat Use vs Availability (SPOW) Zabel 1992

24 EXAM 1

26 Measuring Habitat Quality van Horne 1983

3 Mar. Species Diversity Morrison et al. 148-152, Whittaker et al. 1973

5 Island Biogeography and Reserve Design Cutler 1991

10 Edge Effects Saunders et al. 1991, Wilcove 1989

12 Source-Sink Habitats Robinson et al. 1995

17-19 SPRING BREAK nada

24 Managing for Diversity Noss 1983, Hansen et al. 1991

26 Conservation Planning Noss and Harris 1986

31 Conservation Plan for the No. Spotted Owl Murphy and Noon 1992

2 April Habitat Models: Background Morrison et al. pp. 221-255

7 EXAM 2

9 Habitat Models: Calif WHR Guide to Calif. WHR system

14 Habitat Models: Validation Laymon and Barrett 1986

16 Disturbance and Succession Kirkman 1986, Salwasser 1986, Thomas 1986

21 Laws and Regulations Morrison et al. pp. 7-9

23 Single Species vs Indicator Species/

Guild Approach Verner 1984, Landres et al. 1989

28 Ecosystem Management Franklin 1992, Tracy and Brussard 1993

30 Adaptive Management Walters 1990

5 May Habitat Restoration Anderson 1991

7 Conclusion

¹- (s) suggested reading

Date Topic Location Reading

22-23 Jan. Sampling Design and Techniques W204 Higgins et al. 1996

29-30 Habitat Sampling Methods W204/Arcata Comm. James and Shugart 1970 Forest

4-5 Feb. Discussion of Lab. Projects W204 Anderson and Ohmart 1986

Cooperrider 1986

7-9 WEEKEND FIELD TRIP GALBREATH Larson and Bock 1986 RANCH Alldredge and Ratti 1986

11-12 Analysis of Habitat Occupancy Data W204/W211 Larson and Bock 1986

18-19 Analysis of Habitat Use/ W204/W211 Alldredge and Ratti 1986

Foraging Data

25-26 Open

Project proposals due

4-5 Mar. Wildlife Habitat Models W204/W211 Guide to Calif. WHR

Lab ex 1 due System

11-12 Wildlife Habitat Models W204/W211

18-19 SPRING BREAK

25-26 Open

1-2 April Data Entry and Analysis W204/W211

Lab ex 2 due

8-9 Data Analysis and Writing W204

15-16 Open

Deadline for free reading of papers

22-23 Open

29-30 Open

Project report write up due

6-7 May Verbal Summary of Results W204

LAB PROJECT

You are required to complete a field project examining some aspect of wildlife-habitat relationships. The project will be done in groups of 4, membership will be chosen by me. Each group will submit a written report worth 100 its and will give an oral presentation of the results which will be worth 25 its. Each student will turn in a form to me estimating how much time and effort they and the other members of the group put into the project. If all students contributed equally, everyone will get the same grade on the project. If, based on the evaluation forms, one or more students contributed significantly less than the others, their score on the project will be reduced accordingly.

Project Topic

The types of questions that can be addressed are broad but some suggestions include: 1) comparing the abundance or habitat use of one or more species between different habitat types or between areas of the same habitat that have been disturbed or treated differently; 2) compare habitat use of two closely related species or between different sex or age classes of the same species; 3) compare data on habitat use or estimates of abundance in different habitats with the predictions of habitat models (such as the California WHR or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service HSI models); 4) compare foraging rates or other measures of species performance between different habitats; 5) other innovative ideas you may have. All ideas must be approved by me, please use time in labs and my office hours to discuss your ideas before you begin writing your proposal.

Project Proposal

Project proposals are due to me on or before 25 or 26 March (depending on which day your lab meets) at 11:00. The proposal (2-3 typed pages) should include an introduction, methods, and literature cited sections. The introduction should provide background on the question you are addressing including a review of the relevant literature and a clear statement of the objectives of the proposed research. The methods should clearly state the methods you propose to use and the statistical methods you will use to analyze the data. All literature cited in the introduction or methods should be listed in correct format in the literature cited section. If these sections are well written, they can be incorporated directly into your final paper.

Final Paper

The paper should not exceed 8 pages of text (excluding tables, figures, and literature citations) and must include at least 5 citations from the primary literature (i.e. professional journals). All papers must be written in the style of the Journal of Wildlife Management. The format for JWM papers is very strict, consult Ratti and Ratti (1988, J. Wildl. Manage., 52 (Suppl.), 34 pp.) which is on reserve at the library. The manuscript should be typed, double spaced, and should include the following: title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, literature cited, tables, figures, and an appendix of raw data. I will provide a free reading of the paper (meaning I will read the paper and make comments which will not affect your grade) if I receive a completed draft at 11:00 on 15 or 16 April (depending on when your lab meets). I will return the papers with my comments on 21 April so you can revise your paper and turn it in by the final deadline of 29 or 30 April at 11:00.
 
 

Grading: The report will be worth 100 points, based on the following:

Section Points

Proposal 10

Clear test of hypothesis 15

Data analysis and Interpretation 15

Use of literature 15

Writing style 10

JWM format 15

Grammar and spelling 10

Endeavor 10

100

Five points will be deducted for each page over the maximum (8), 10 points for each day it is late, and 5 points for each citation less than the minimum (5) required. If one or more students contributed significantly less than the others on the project, their score will be reduced accordingly (see above).