Grade Level:
Advanced high school
Estimated time:
1 hour
Objective:
To teach about Population Viability Analysis (PVA) for conservation and wildlife management using the NumerusOL framework and web app. Students will explore the impact of sex ratio, birth rate, density dependence, environmental and demographic stochasticity, and connectivity on the long term existence of small populations. An additional exercise within the NumerusOL web app will allow students to explore how management decisions such as to allow stocking can affect the stability of wolf populations. Although, this lesson is tailored to follow lessons on population dynamics and the unique predator - prey relationships found on Isle Royale, it can be taught entirely on its own.
Demographic Data
Movement and Biomass
Age-class specific relative biomass.
Age-class specific movement propensity.
The region-to-region connectivity. Ignored if using a single population PVA.
The DD parameters are the population levels at which the survival of the corresponding age classes in question are reduced by half.
Harvesting and Stocking
Age-class specific amount.
Age-class specific amount.
Selective stocking and harvesting are applied every ith and jth time increment, respectively.
Note: default to 1.
Set the region specific amounts and cohort range of harvesting. The cohort ranges (single for one-sex and two for two-sex structure) can be set with the sliders that denotes age-class indices.