Short description
Provides an introduction to the concepts and principles for solving management problems in wildlife and conservation biology. This book shows how population biology addresses questions involving the harvest, monitoring, and conservation of wildlife populations. It is useful for students of wildlife biology, conservation biology, and more.
Long description
"Conservation of Wildlife Populations" provides an accessible introduction to the most relevant concepts and principles for solving real-world management problems in wildlife and conservation biology. Bringing together insights from traditionally disparate disciplines, the book shows how population biology addresses important questions involving the harvest, monitoring, and conservation of wildlife populations. The most up-to-date approaches for assessing factors that affect both population growth and interactions with other species are covered in detail, including predation, genetic changes, harvest, introduced species, viability analysis, and habitat loss and fragmentation. "Conservation of Wildlife Populations" is an essential guide for undergraduates and postgraduate students of wildlife biology, conservation biology, ecology, and environmental studies; and will be invaluable for practising managers requiring an up-to-date assessment of how population biology can be applied to wildlife conservation and management.
Review
Scott Mills has written an excellent textbook designed to make undergraduates think and to guide them to understanding of how modern methods of population biology are applied by wildlife biologists. The themes of genetics and population dynamics run through the book with succinct expositions of theory and vivid examples from real problems facing the practitioner. Professor Henry M Wilbur, University of Virginia Scott Mills cleverly bridges the gap between conservation genetics and population ecology; a connection often given short thrift in more specialized titles. The writing style is engaging, and technical concepts are regularly reinforced with interesting real-world examples. Barry W Brook, Charles Darwin University Scott Mills' Conservation of Wildlife Populations is a significant contribution to the literature. I found it thorough, readable, and useful in dealing with this increasingly important aspect of wildlife and conservation biology. Well done! Professor Jack W Thomas, University of Montana Finally! ... a book that combines the nuts and bolts of basic population growth and population estimation techniques (including genetic techniques) with PVA and harvest modeling while using applied examples from real wildlife populations! Now I don't have to use two books plus cobble together readings from various sources in order to teach my upper division Population Dynamics course! This book will make it so much easier on instructors and students alike. Dr Marcella Kelly, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Table of contents
- PrefaceAcknowledgmentsPART I: BACKGROUND TO APPLIED POPULATION BIOLOGY1. The Big Picture: Human Population Dynamics Meets Applied Population BiologyBackgroundPopulation Biology of HumansExtinction Rates of Other SpeciesHumans and Sustainable HarvestThe Big Picture2. Designing Studies and Interpreting Population Biology Data: How Do We Know What We Know?Truth: When an "Idea of the Mind" (Ideam) Matches a Fact from Observation (Ideaf)Obtaining Reliable "Ideasf" Through SamplingEthics and the Wildlife Population BiologistSummary3. Genetic Concepts and Tools to Support Wildlife Population BiologyWhat is Genetic Variation?Genetic Markers Used in Wildlife Population BiologyInsights into Wildlife Population Biology Using Genetic ToolsSummary4. Estimating Population Vital RatesEstimating Abundance and DensitySurvival EstimationEstimation of ReproductionSex RatioSummaryPART II: POPULATION PROCESSES: THE BASIS FOR MANAGEMENT5. The Simplest Way to Describe and Project Population Growth: Exponential and Geometric ChangePopulation Growth: Introductory ThoughtsFundamentals of Geometric or Exponential GrowthCauses and Consequences of Variation in Population GrowthQuantifying Population Growth in a Stochastic EnvironmentSummary6. Density Dependent Population ChangeIntroductionNegative Density DependencePositive Density DependenceThe Logistic: One Simple Model of Negative Density Dependent Population Growth.Some Counterintuitive Dynamics: Limit Cycles and ChaosSummary7. Accounting for Age and Sex-Specific Differences: Population Projection ModelsAnatomy of a Population Projection MatrixHow Timing of Sampling Affects the MatrixProjecting a Matrix Through TimeAdding Stochasticity to a Matrix ModelSensitivity AnalysisCase StudiesSummary8. Predation and Wildlife PopulationsWhen Does Predation Affect Prey Numbers?Factors Affecting How Predation Impacts Prey NumbersSummary9. Genetic Variation and Fitness of Wildlife PopulationsLong-Term Benefits of Genetic VariationWhat Determines Levels of Genetic Variation in Populations?Quantifying the Loss of Heterozygosity: The Inbreeding CoefficientWhen Does Inbreeding Lead to Inbreeding Depression?What To Do When Faced With Inbreeding Depression?Rules of ThumbSummary10. Dynamics of Multiple PopulationsConnectivity Among PopulationsMeasuring Connectivity Among Wildlife PopulationsMultiple Populations are Not All EqualOptions for Restoring ConnectivitySummaryPART III: APPLYING KNOWLEDGE OF POPULATION PROCESSES TO PROBLEMS OF DECLINING, SMALL, OR HARVESTABLE POPULATIONS11. Human Perturbations: Deterministic Factors Leading to Population DeclineGeneral Effects of Deterministic Stressors on PopulationsHabitat Loss and FragmentationPollutionOverharvestGlobal Climate ChangeSynergistic Effects Among Deterministic StressorsSummary12. Predicting the Dynamics of Small and Declining PopulationsIntroductionEcological Characteristics Predicting RiskThe "Extinction Vortex"Predicting Risks in Small PopulationsPopulation Viability Analysis: Quan