lab 10. pre-lab
In this week's lab, you will be introduced to ecology and some important ecological principles. You will explore different types of high-impact (or especially important species) like apex predators and ecosystem engineers. You will read over the KY Wildlife Action Plan, which uses ecological principles to manage natural resources across our state. You will use data from across Kentucky, and your knowledge of high impact species, to determine priority areas for conversation.
What is ecology?
Humans are the dominant force on this planet. How we manage our natural resources dictates the health our environment. The principles of ecology are used by agencies and non-profit organizations to manage resources using best practices in order to maintain a healthy and functioning biosphere. Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment, and a primary goal of ecology is to understand the distribution and abundance of organisms. There are several levels of ecological study from organismal, to that of the population, community, ecosystem and globe. Each level can be synthesized and applied toward conservation biology.
Types of ecological study listed in hierarchical order.
Conservation biology is the effort to study, preserve, and restore threatened genetic diversity in populations, species diversity in communities, and ecosystem function. Understanding ecological principles is vitally important in prescribing conservation efforts. One such effort is common across every state. It is called the "Wildlife Action Plan." These plans collect species abundance data from across the state, as well as habitat data, in an effort to make ecologically-based decisions regarding management of the state's wildlife resources. These plans are intended to work at the landscape level of ecology. Kentucky's Wildife Action Plan was written in 2013 by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources. It will be revised soon, in 2023. Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources is an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet and it is responsible for the conservation of wildlife resources and for boating projects in the state.In this week's lab, you will use data collected from across the state to make recommendations for the plan's revision.
Do you know enough about high impact species?
We know that each species oppies a unique niche and plays an important role in their ecosystem. However, some species carry more weight. We can refer to these species as high impact species, those with especially vital ecological roles (e.g., predators) or special designations making them a greater conservation priority (e.g., threatened) or threat (e.g., invasive species). Look over the nine key categories of high impact species below. As you look over your data during the lab, you may want to use these species types in making your priority or funding recommendations.
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Keystone Species
Species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if they were removed the ecosystem would change drastically. 
Eastern hemlocks are a KY keystone species; they provide shade which lowers stream temperatures, and valuable refuge for migrating birds. They are current under threat from the hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect.
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Apex Predators
Predators at the top of a food chain, without natural predators of its own. They often control the abundance of other species. 
Bobcats have been scarce in KY since the 70s but are making a rebound and can now be found in most counties. The are secretive and illusive. They help control populations of rodents and rabbits.
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Ecosystem Engineers
Organisms that directly or indirectly affect the availability of resources by causing physical state changes in biotic or abiotic materials. 
Beaver dams can drastically alter the geomorphology of streams, rivers, and lakes across KY. Their dams create large pools that are used as important refuges for fish, amphibians and migrating waterfowl.
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Native (Indigenous) Species
Species are considered native to the region if their presence is solely due to natural circumstances (evolution, dispersal, and migration). 
The Great Blue Heron is KY native and commonly spotted alongside our lakes and river. They have bounced back after steep declines in the 70s. While compact when standing on the shore hunting, the birds elongate in flight.
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Endemic Species
Species that are geographically restricted to certain locations and do not occur naturally in other part of the world. 
The relict darter is a rare species of freshwater ray-finned fish that is endemic to a single small watershed in KY and only exits in two counties. KY is well-known for housing many endemic dater species.
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Threatened or Endangered
These are species whose population numbers are dangerously low. Endangered species are closer to extinction than threatened species. 
The Indiana bat is endangered in KY and federally. Decreases in Indiana bat populations have been caused by several factors, most of which are the result of human activity (e.g., altering cave entrances).
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Migratory Species
Species in which all or part of the population emigrate regularly, periodically, or seasonally from a geographical area to another. 
Neotropical migratory birds breed in Canada and the US and spend winter in Mexico, Central America, South America or the Caribbean islands. The indigo bunting, a KY migratory resident is pictured above.
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Exotic or Introduced Species
A species that is not native and has been accidentally or deliberately transported to the new location by human activity. Many become invasive. 
Multiflora Rose was introduced for landscaping in KY. It forms impenetrable, thorny, thickets in pastures, fields, and forest edges. It restricts wildlife movement and displaces native vegetation.
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Invasive species
A species that becomes overpopulated causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. Most are exotic/introduced. 
Zebra mussels are an invasive, fingernail-sized mollusk that is native to fresh waters in Eurasia. They compete with KY-native fish and invertebrates, particularly our diverse and endemic mussel populations.
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WHAT WILL WE DO IN LAB & HOW WILL WE DO IT?
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Lab 9 contains three exercises and an introduction to your next assignment.
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If you feel confident with this material, click the bridge icon below and navigate to Blackboard to take the LABridge for this week. Be ready to be tested on this material before you go to the quiz, and make sure you have your Lab Notebook Guide ready to submit as well.
Click here to get to WKU's blackboard to take your LABridge for this week.
Lab 10 Protocol
Following this lab you should be able to...
- Describe the following species labels: keystone species, apex predators, threatened species, endangered species, native species, endemic species, and recognize the distinct reasons each is important in an ecological context.
- Explain the following ecological concepts: edge, fragmentation, corridors, succession, invasion and trophic levels.
- Utilize the ecological principles above along with data from the KY Wildlife Action Plan to make conservation-based recommendations.
- Prepare a report with evidence of recommendations using graphs and statistical analysis.
- Exercise I. Review the The Kentucky State Wildlife Action Plan
- Exercise II. Investigate the details of the Tier I Conservation Areas
- Exercise III. Make your own recommendations
Exercise I. What is The Kentucky State wildlife action plan
Procedure.
- Go to the KY Department of Fish and Wildlife webpage. Review their mission. You may have worked through them for a hunting or fishing license. This agency is responsible for the formation and execution of the Wildlife Action Plan.
- Review the information below which summarizes the KY Wildlife Action Plan. Open the plan and look over the general contents.
- Review the 527 species that are identified as Kentucky's Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN).
- Complete Exercise I. in your Lab Notebook Guide.
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What is the Kentucky State Wildlife Action Plan?
Kentucky’s state wildlife action plan summarizes the status of our state’s more vulnerable wildlife species and the condition of habitat on which they depend. It is a blueprint to drive conservation priorities and decision-making, developed by partners and approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Actions plans are adaptive: regularly reviewed and updated to keep current with emerging wildlife issues. The plan was written in 2013 by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, and will be reviewed every 10 years. Why is it important? To maintain the health and diversity of Kentucky’s fish and wildlife resources, we must prioritize projects and direct limited financial resources where they are most effective. Strategies, therefore, often include management of rare/endangered species, those that are in decline, and many that have received less attention in the past. Because recovery is more costly and difficult to achieve once a species is imperiled, the goal is to intervene before a species is in crisis, to keep common species common, and ensure healthy resources for future generations of Kentuckians. What species are included? Kentucky’s current plan identifies 301 species in greatest conservation need, including freshwater mussels, fishes, crayfish, songbirds, reptiles, turtles, amphibians, and mammals. These designations include many of the high impact species discussed in the pre-lab: keystone species, apex predator's, migrants, ecosystem engineers, endemics, natives, and threatened and endangered species. During the revision process, species specialists evaluate new information to keep this list current. They also consider ongoing and new environmental stressors and identify specific conservation efforts necessary for recovery of these species and their associated habitats. Kentucky's Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) 527 species were identified as particularly important for conservation efforts. An example in each taxa is below. -Excerpts from the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources 
Search the SCGN list by tax here.
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Link to KY Fish & Wildlife.
KY Wildlife Action Plan PDF.
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Exercise II. conservation priority ARea Determination
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As you may have gathered, it is not possible to equally conserve all areas of the state equally and simultaneously. Much of the state is already developed, and it is not financially feasible to protect all the remaining hectares. Instead, the state has been divided into Conservation Opportunity Areas (or COAs). The objective for delineating COAs was to identify portions of Kentucky with high SGCN diversity where on-the-ground conservation actions can be implemented with increased likelihood of success. Eleven sub regions or watersheds were highlighted as Conservation Opportunity Areas based upon their abundance of extant SGCN utilized habitats, regional importance for conservation, and existing conservation efforts. A priority was placed on capturing both areas that currently serve as vital habitats for SGCN as well as areas where restoration efforts could be conducted to maximize SGCN utilization and expansion. These three priority conservation areas include 4 COAs:
Procedure.
US Fish & Wildlife IPAC Tool: This tool will let you draw a circle around any area of the state and it will provide a the listed species, critical habitat, migratory birds or other natural resources within.
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Coverage type in the Priority Conservation Areas.
Species list by priority conservation area.
SGCNs by COA.
SGCN species list with status category.
Priority Conservation Area stats.
% SGCN by Conservation Area.
COA Info pages |
Exercise iii. Policy Recommendation on Conservation fundingUsing your knowledge of the Tier 1 Conservation Priority Areas and High Impact Species, present your argument for which area deserves more funding support. You are making another scientific argument, similar to the one you completed on vestigial structures in Lab 4.
Procedure. Read the prompt below. Follow the directions and complete your Lab Notebook Guide. *Please note. Unlike the rest of your Lab Notebook Guide, this assignment is to be completed independently. You may consult with your lab partners, but the final product should be yours alone. Prompt. If the state received special federal funding to put towards conservation efforts in ONLY ONE of the Tier 1 Priority Conservation Areas, in which one should they focus? Format and support your claim for this policy recommendation.
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Outline for policy recommendation.
Image from Sampson, Grooms, and Walker (2010). Click for link to article.
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Faculty spotlight: Dr. Stokes
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Dr. Stokes is an ecologist specializing in human-wildlife conflict mitigation, African wildlife ecology, and the roles of sociology and psychology in promoting conservation thought and behavior. His current research projects include the NSF-funded project ‘Development of Automated Systems to Increase Crop Yield by Reducing Group Foraging Intensity by Crop Pests’, an attempt to leverage evolved wildlife anti-predator behaviors to reduce crop damage on African subsistence farms. Also underway is a project in South Africa utilizing scat-DNA to understand seasonal differences in the prey-base of lion populations. Dr. Stokes also leads a popular study abroad course on wildlife conservation and management in Africa.
Students who are interested in this work, please email @ [email protected]. Assorted Publications: An SEM image reference guide to hairs of twelve species of large African mammals... Public Participation and Institutional Fit: A Social Psychological Perspective... |