The Biology and Conservation of Animal Populations

About this book

A foundational text on animal population conservation featuring practical applications and case studies.

The study of animal populations is integral to wildlife ecology and conservation. Analyzing population biology data can help facilitate the recovery of threatened species, manage overabundant species, and ensure sustainable levels of harvest. But for many students, the complex math involved is a barrier to understanding the importance of the data's applications. The emphasis on solving mathematical problems in traditional population biology texts may also seem far removed from the heart of conservation work that students find most compelling. The Biology and Conservation of Animal Populations is built differently. It provides a thorough introduction to this fundamental science in an accessible context that centres conservation, not equations.

This textbook, written by prominent conservation scientist, author, and wolf biologist John A. Vucetich, challenges students to think critically about big questions in conservation work – such as what does and does not count as an endangered species and why – and addresses these issues using practical examples and case studies. The crucial mathematics concepts needed to fully understand these issues are explained by directly connecting the equations with their use in efforts to conserve animal populations.

Included in the text are explicit learning goals for each chapter, in-depth case studies, and step-by-step exercises demonstrating how to perform calculations and simulations in Excel, and online supplementary materials. Vucetich also gives substantive attention to the growing call for integrative learning by connecting population science to the ethical considerations that guide its application.

Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements

1. Why Populations?
2. Proportional Growth and Density-Independent Dynamics
3. Density-Dependent Dynamics
4. Ethical Dimensions
5. Structured Populations
6. Extinction Risk
7. Genetic Processes
8. Exploited Populations
9. Predation

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Biography

John A. Vucetich (HANCOCK, MI) is a distinguished professor of wildlife ecology at Michigan Technological University's College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. He is the author of Restoring the Balance: What Wolves Tell Us about Our Relationship with Nature.