Syllabus
Syllabus
WILD 5700/7700 Applied Population Dynamics
Lecture: M, W 9:05 - 9:55, room 4-517
Lab: M 1:25 - 4:25 or Fri 9:05 - 12:05, room 1-201
Instructor
Dr. Richard B. Chandler, Room 3-409B, Phone 2-5815, rchandler@warnell.uga.edu Office Hours: Thurs 2:00 – 3:00, Fri 2:00 – 3:00
Course Description and Objectives
This course will present the theory necessary for understanding wildlife population dynamics, and it will explain how to use theory and data to inform management and conservation efforts. By the end of the course, students should know how to develop models to forecast the impacts of environmental change and management actions on wildlife populations. Students will learn how to design studies, collect data, and estimate parameters such as abundance, survival, and recruitment.
The course is introductory in nature, and emphasis is put on discrete-time models rather than continuous-time models because I find that students have an easier time grasping difference models than ODEs.
Textbook
Conroy, M.J. and J.P. Carroll. 2009. Quantitative Conservation of Vertebrates. Wiley-Blackwell. You do not need to buy a hard copy. Digital copies are available for free through the UGA library to UGA students.
Additional readings will come from a variety of sources, including other textbooks and scientific journals.
Grades
| Quantity | Grade percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Quizzes | 10 | 15% |
| Lab assignments | 13 | 30% |
| Written assignment | 1 | 20% |
| Exams | 3 | 30% |
| Class participation | 5% |
Late assignments will be penalized 5% per day
Graduate students will analyze a real dataset and summarize the results in their final paper.
All academic work must meet the standards contained in the University’s academic honesty policy. All students are responsible for informing themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. The penalties for academic dishonesty are severe, and ignorance is not an acceptable defense.
Tentative course outline
| Week | Lecture | Lab |
|---|---|---|
| PART I - Models | — | |
| 1 | Course introduction | Excel and R basics |
| BIDE model | ||
| 2 | Exponential growth | Geometric growth |
| Logistic growth | ||
| 3 | Harvest models | Logistic growth and harvest |
| Stochasticity | ||
| 4 | Extinction | Extinction |
| Competition | ||
| 5 | Predation | Competition and predation |
| Age structure | ||
| 6 | Stage structure | Age/stage structure |
| Source-sink dynamics | ||
| 7 | Exam I | Data collection |
| Metapopulations | ||
| 8 | PVA | Metapopulations |
| PART II - Estimation | — | |
| Study design and basic statistics | ||
| 9 | Occupancy models | Occupancy models |
| Occupancy models | ||
| 10 | Distance sampling | Data collection |
| Distance sampling | ||
| 11 | Exam II | |
| Mark-recapture: closed populations | ||
| 12 | Mark-recapture: closed populations | |
| Mark-recapture: open populations | ||
| 13 | Mark-recapture: open populations | |
| Estimating survival with telemetry data | ||
| 14 | Problems with the use of age distribution data | |
| Decision analysis | ||
| 15 | Case studies | |
| Case studies |
The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.