ecology

"It is a good morning exercise for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast. It keeps him young." Konrad Lorenz

What would you like to know about my
Applications of Behavioral Ecology to
Conservation Biology course?

Readings for the 2 May Meeting are:

Topic: Game Theory

Meikle, D.B., A.L. Ensminger. 2005. Effects of male kinship and agonistic behaviour on
reproduction and odour preferences of female house mice, Mus domesticus.
Animal Behaviour 69:1147–1155.

Readings are available through the UA Library's Electronic Reserves
The secret password is 'behavior'....click HERE

--Would you like to see a syllabus? Then click HERE

--Would you like to see useful links? Then click HERE

--Would you like to search the UA Library? Then click HERE

--Would you like to see the Electronic Reserves for the Course? Then click HERE

A Syllabus for WFSC 595H: Applications of Behavioral Ecology
to Conservation Biology

        When? W 10:00-11:30 am
        Where? Bio East 218
        Who? Dr. John L. Koprowski      Office: Bio East 306     E-mail: squirrel@ag.arizona.edu
                            Phone: 626-5895 (usually afternoons) or 624-6439 (usually mornings)

Objectives:

1. To examine a diversity of applications of behavioral ecological theory to conservation science

2. To explore the utility of behavioral methods and approaches for natural resource research

3. To enhance critical thinking and discussion skills

Prerequisites:

Graduate standing in an RNR related discipline or permission from the instructor

Useful Texts to Consider Adding to Your Personal Library (we'll read a few articles from these):

Caro, T. 1998. Behavioral Ecology and Conservation Biology. Oxford Univ Press, London.

Clemmons, JR & R Bucholz. 1997. Behavioral Approaches to Conservation in the Wild.
Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge.

Festa-Bianchet M & M Apollonio. 2003. Animal Behavior & Wildlife Conservation, Island Press

Gosling, LM & WJ Sutherland. 2000. Behaviour and Conservation. Cambridge Univ Press, Cambridge.

Grading Criteria:

                                Presentations and summary paper w/ annotated bibliography          180 pts.
                                Peer-review of discussion leadership                                               20 pts.
                                Class participation                                                                           50 pts.

***No make-up times are possible due to the nature of the course; in the event of an emergency please contact me

Grading Scale:

Total Points Possible = 250 pts

A 90-100% B 80-89% C 70-79% D 60-69% F < 60%

Special Needs: Students who need special accommodation or services should contact the Disability Resources
Center, 1224 East Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, (520) 621-3268, FAX (520) 621-9423,
email: uadrc@email.arizona.edu, http://drc.arizona.edu/. You must register and request that the Center or
DRC send me official notification of your accommodations needs as soon as possible. Please plan to meet
with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how my course requirements
and activities may impact your ability to fully participate. The need for accommodations must be documented
by the appropriate office.

Course Withdrawal: Students leaving the course must file a “drop” or “withdrawal”; otherwise,
a failing grade will result due to lack of attendance. Take home message: not showing up to
class does not result in an automatic drop or withdrawal.

Proposed Schedule:
This is a tentative guide for your class preparation. The schedule is subject to change--it
is your responsibility to attend class and to keep abreast of any alterations.

Date January
10
17
24
31
February
7
14
21
28
March
7
14
21
28
April
4
11
18
25
May
2
Topic
Organizational Meeting, Historical Perspectives
Levels of Selection and Approaches to Behavioral Ecology
Ecological and Evolutionary Traps
Captive Breeding/Anthropogenic Environments

AZ/NMTWS Conference--No class meeting
Why do animals live in groups? From Fish to Mammals
Conservation Genetic/Paternity Analyses
Mating Systems and Mate Choice

Natal and Breeding Dispersal/Philopatry
Spring Break--No class meeting
Wildlife Diets and Optimal Foraging Theory
Home Ranges to Territories—Space use

Kin Recognition—from fish pheromones to squirrel alarm calls
Habitat Use and Patch Use Theory
Sexual Selection—Horns, Antlers, Plumage, and Canines
Litter and Clutch Sizes--Parental Care and Investment Strategies

Game Theoretical Approaches to Agonistic Encounters in the Wild; Evaluations

Readings
To be announced

Links about Behavioral Ecology &
                            Conservation Biology:
Journals on Behavioral Ecology--a few to get you started
     Animal Behaviour
     Behavioral Ecology -- the journal
     Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
     Behaviour --search for this journal at the publishers link

Journals on Wildlife Conservation--a few more to keep you going
     Animal Conservation
     Aquatic Conservation
     Biodiversity and Conservation
     Biological Conservation
     Conservation Biology
     Conservation Ecology
     Journal of Insect Conservation

Professional Societies
     Animal Behavior Society
     Society for Conservation Biology
     The Wildlife Society
     ABS Conservation Committee

Miscellanea

ABSnet --an electronic newsletter that covers a diversity of topics and has field assistant/jobs/graduate positions

     Animal Behavior Graduate Programs Bulletin --a very helpful listing of graduate school programs in Animal Behavior--
                                                                        look under Guides to Animal Behavior Programs after accessing this page
     Animal Diversity Web --an incredible site full of resources on animals from the University of Michigan's Museum of
                                                        Zoology
     American Psychological Society --a major society for those interested in animal behavior, many good links

     The Bumpus Effect --The original data set on differential mortality of female sparrows following a severe
                                                        storm in Rhode Island--can be analyzed to demonstrate the 'Bumpus Effect', an example
                                                        of stabilizing selection
     Ethology --a link to this journal to examine the table of contents

Ethology Discussions --an electronic newsgroup of interest to behavioral ecologists

     Evolution and Game Theory: Interactive Simulations --a great site to learn and explore the important topic of
                                                                                                        game theory
     Nebraska Behavioral Biology Group --a wonderful source of information on everything from societies to
                                                        graduate school programs and advice
    Software Sources:
Computer Software Archives for the Study of Animal Behavior --an incredible diversity
     Computer Software for Ecologists --a nice source of ecological shareware
     Forager --a new software package for modeling animal behavior
     Mac Programs for Animal Behavior -- software from UCSD labs of J. Bradbury & S. Vehrencamp
     Wildife Ecology Software Archive -- an archive at INHS's Center for Wildife Ecology for numerous
                              ecological software packages--check out the Ecological Software Links for additional sources

WWW Sonar --a number of informative links on land and marine mammal sonar can be found here

Jobs in the Life Sciences --links to summer, temporary and permanent job sites

Past Readings (From the Previous Courses):

Levels of Analysis:

Sherman, PW. 1987. The levels of analysis. Animal Behaviour 36:616-619.

Linklater, WL. 2004. Wanted for conservation research: behavioral ecologists
with a broader perspective. Bioscience 54:352-360.

Romesburg, HC. 1981. Wildlife science - gaining reliable knowledge. Journal of
Wildlife Management 45:293-313.

Matter, WJ, RW Mannan. 1989. More on gaining reliable knowledge - a comment.
Journal of Wildlife Management 53: 1172-1176.

Ecological and Evolutionary Traps:

Schlaepfer, MA, PW Sherman, B Blossey, MC Runge. 2005. Introduced species as
evolutionary traps. Ecology Letters 8: 241–246.

Schlaepfer, MA, MC Runge, PW Sherman. 2002. Ecological and
evolutionary traps. Tree 17: 474-480.

Reintroduction and Captive Propagation:

Brown, C., R.L. Day. 2002. The future of stock enhancements:
lessons for hatchery practice from conservation biology.
Fish and Fisheries 3:79-94

Bird, B.L., L.C. Branch, D.L. Miller. 2004. Effects of coastal lighting on
foraging behavior of beach mice. Conservation Biology 18:1435-1439.

Rabin LA, Greene C. 2002. Changes to acoustic communication systems
in human-altered environments. J Comp. Psych 116 (2): 137-141.

McLean IG, Schmitt NT, Jarman PJ, Duncan C, Wynne CDL. 2000.
Learning for life: training marsupials to recognise introduced predators.
Behaviour 137:1361-76

Sociality:

Ebensperger, L. A. 2001. A review of the evolutionary causes of rodent
group-living. Acta Theriologica 46:115-144.

Höglund, J. 1996. Can mating systems affect local extinction risks?
Two examples of lek-breeding waders. Oikos 77:184-188.

Truman P. Young, T.P., L.A. Isbell. 1994. Minimum group size and
other conservation lessons exemplified by a declining primate population.
Biological Conservation 68:129-134.

Johnson, D.D.P, R. Kays, P.G. Blackwell, D.W. Macdonald. 2002. Does the
resource dispersion hypothesis explain group living? Trends in Ecology
& Evolution 17:563-570.

Mating Systems:

Hampton, J, J.R. Pluske, P.B.S. Spencer. 2004. A preliminary genetic study of the social.
biology of feral pigs in south-western Australia and the implications for
management. Wildlife Research 31:375-381.

Rudnick, J.A., T.E. Katzner, E.A. Bragin, O.E. Rhodes, Jr., J.A. DeWoody. 2005.
        Using naturally shed feathers for individual identification, genetic parentage
        analyses, and population monitoring in an endangered Eastern imperial eagle
        (Aquila heliaca) population from Kazakhstan. Molecular Ecology 14: 2959–2967.

Berger, J. 1996. Animal behaviour and plundered mammals: is the study of
mating systems a scientific luxury or a conservation necessity? Oikos 77: 207-
216.

Rowe, S. and Hutchings, J.A. 2003. Mating systems and the conservation of commercially
exploited marine fish. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 18: 567-572.

Sigg D.P., A.W. Goldizen, A.R. Pople. 2005. The importance of mating system in
translocation programs: reproductive success of released male bridled
nailtail wallabies. Biological Conservation 123:289–300

Hettyey, A., P. B. Pearman. 2003. Social environment and reproductive interference
affect reproductive success in the frog Rana latastei. Behavioral Ecology 14:294–300

Dispersal and Philopatry:

Pasinelli, G., J.R. Walters 2002. Social and environmental factors affect
natal dispersal and philopatry of male red-cockaded woodpeckers. Ecology 83:2229-2239.

Forero, M.G., J.A. Donazar, J. Blas, F. Hiraldo. 1999. Causes and Consequences of
Territory Change and Breeding Dispersal Distance in the Black Kite. Ecology 80:1298-1310.

Lindberg MS, JS Sedinger, DV Derksen, RF Rockwell. 1998. Natal and breeding philopatry in a black
brant, Branta bernicla nigricans, metapopulation. Ecology 79:1893-1904.

Woodroffe R. Dispersal and conservation: a behavioral perspective on metapopulation persistence.

Optimality and Diets:

Roos-Frey, F., A. Brodmann, and R. Heinz-Ulrich. Relationships between food resources,
foraging patterns, and reproductive success in the water pipet, Anthus sp. spinoletta.
Behavioral Ecology 6:287-295.

Pretzlaw, T., C. Trudeau, M.M. Humphries, J.M. Lamontagne, and S. Boutin. 2006.
    Red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) feeding on spruce bark beetles
    (Dendroctonus rufipennis): energetic and ecological implications.
    Journal of Mammalogy 87:909–914.

Esther S. Rubin, Walter M. Boyce, Chris J. Stermer and Steven G. Torres
2002. Bighorn sheep habitat use and selection near an urban environment,
Biological Conservation 104:251-263.

Space Use Concepts:

Kremen C, Williams NM, Thorp, RW. 2002. Crop pollination from native bees at risk due to
agricultural intensification. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 99:16812-16.

Gubbins C. 2002. Use of Home Ranges by Resident Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in a
South Carolina Estuary. Journal of Mammalogy, 83(1): 178-187,

Galanti V, D. Preatoni, A. Martinoli, L.A. Wauters, G. Tosi. 2006. Space and habitat
use of the African elephant in the Tarangire–Manyara ecosystem, Tanzania:
Implications for conservation. Mammalian Biology 71:99–114

Saltz, D, M Rowen, D Rubenstein. 2000. Effect of space-use patterns of reintroduced
Asiatic wild ass on effective population size. Conservation Biology 14:1852-1861.

Kin Selection:

Giffiths, S.W. 2003. Learned recognition of conspecifics by fish. Fish and
Fisheries 4: 256-268.

Fadao, T., Ruyong, S., and Tingzheng W. 2002. Does low fecundity reflect kin
recognition and inbreeding avoidance in the mandarian vole (Microtus
mandarinus)? Canadian Journal of Zoology 80: 2150-2155.

Insley, S.J. 2001. Mother–offspring vocal recognition in northern fur seals is
mutual but asymmetrical. Animal Behaviour 61:129–137

Roberts, S.C., L.M. Gosling. 2004. Manipulation of olfactory signaling and mate choice
for conservation breeding: a case study of harvest mice. Conservation Biology 18:548–556

Habitat and Patch Use:

Lamberson, R.H., B.R.,Noon, C. Voss, K.S. McKelvey. 1994. Reserve design for territorial species:
The effects of patch size and spacing on the viability of the Northern Spotted Owl.
Conservation Biology 8:185-195

Cox, J.J., D.S. Maehr, J.L. Larkin. 2006. Florida panther habitat use: New approach to an
old problem. Journal of Wildlife Management 70:1778–1785.

Bryce J, Johnson PJ, Macdonald DW. 2002. Can niche use in red and grey squirrels offer clues for
their apparent coexistence? Journal of Applied Ecology 39 (6): 875-887

Ries L, Debinski DM, Wieland ML. 2001. Conservation Value of Roadside Prairie Restoration to
Butterfly Communities. Conservation Biology 15 (2):401-411.

Sexual Selection:

West, P. M and Packer, C. 2002. Sexual selection, temperature, and the Lion's
Mane. Science (297)2002 1339-1343.

Singer,Francis J; Zeigenfuss, LC. 2002. Influence of trophy hunting and
horn size on mating behavior and survivorship of mountain sheep. Journal
of Mammalogy 83(3): 682-698

Simmons, R.E., L. Scheepers. 1996. Winning by a neck: sexual selection in the evolution
of giraffe. The American Naturalist 148:771-786.

Candolin, U., T. Salesto, M. Evers. 2007. Changed environmental conditions weaken
sexual selection in sticklebacks Journal of Evolutionary Biology 20:233–239