Wildlife Ecology

1. Wildlife Ecology Section 3 Part 1

2. Wildlife Ecology • What is ecology? • The study of the interrelations between plants and animals and their environment. • By understanding the needs of game, such as its habits and habitat, the hunter will have a more productive hunt. • The NRA has established a hunters code of ethics. “The hunter will support conservation efforts which can assure good hunting for future generations of Americans”.

3. Wildlife Ecology • Wildlife includes game animals: • Which are given some legal protection, but must be hunted according to regulated seasons and bag limits. • Non-game animals (non hunted and protected species. • Wildlife is important as a source of beauty, biological study, recreation, and income.

4. Wildlife Ecology • Wildlife is sensitive to change and is a valuable indicator of environmental conditions. • Wildness • Is a condition of genetic and learned conditions which enable animals to successfully adapt to life in a natural environment. • Example of this is the wild and domestic turkey.

5. Wildlife Ecology • It is illegal to release pen-reared “wild turkeys” in Minnesota. • Ecosystem • A ever changing, interacting association of living organisms and the environment in which they live. • Food Chain • A series of organisms consisting of a food making plant, the organism that uses the plant for food, another organism that uses the plant consuming organism for food, and so on.

6. Wildlife Ecology • Herbivores • Plant eaters • Omnivores • Both Plant and Meat eaters • Population dynamics • Wildlife changes due to human activities and natural calamities.

7. Wildlife Ecology • What is habitat • Everything an animal needs to survive. Places for feeding, drinking, resting, breeding, and escaping danger. • The three main components of habitat are: • Food • Shelter • Water

8. Wildlife Ecology • Limiting Factors • Carrying Capacity • Population limit • Compared to bucket of water.

9. Wildlife Ecology • Food • Cover • Water • Space • Predation • Weather • Human Activities • Diseases and Parasites • Self-Limiting Factors

10. Wildlife Ecology • Principle of Inversion • This means that as breeding populations increase, the production or survival of their offspring will decrease. • This results is an animal population composed of mostly older animals and very few young. • When breeding population declines usually the number of young per litter increases.

11. Wildlife Ecology • Principle of Compensatory Mortality • Applicable to death rate. • If one or more factors cause the death rate to decline, other factors will increase so that the overall death rate will not significantly change.

12. Wildlife Ecology • Wildlife and Plant Succession • This especially happens were a habitat is lost to fire or other natural disasters. • After a fire a forest or prairie start over in growth so habitat that was once there will not be any more. Year after year these areas will change and one day will be back to the original habitat. Succession Climax stage

13. Wildlife Ecology • Edge Effect • The edge or borders of habitat overlap each other. • There will be a noticeable change in vegetation. • The transition zone is the area were these different habitats overlap. • For many species this area is the best habitat because it offers a mixture of habitat.