Transcript PowerPoint - New Mexico State University

Defining Wildlife Habitat &
Recognizing Its Importance
Next Generation Science/Common Core Standards Addressed!
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HS‐LS2‐6. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex
interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of
organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new
ecosystem. [Clarification Statement: Examples of changes in ecosystem
conditions could include modest biological or physical changes, such as
moderate hunting or a seasonal flood; and extreme changes, such as volcanic
eruption or sea level rise.
HS‐LS2‐8. Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and
species’ chances to survive and reproduce. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is
on: (1) distinguishing between group and individual behavior, (2) identifying
evidence supporting the outcomes of group behavior, and (3) developing logical
and reasonable arguments based on evidence. Examples of group behaviors
could include flocking, schooling, herding, and cooperative behaviors such as
hunting, migrating, and swarming.
HS‐LS4‐6. Create or revise a simulation to test a solution to mitigate adverse
impacts of human activity on biodiversity.* [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is
on designing solutions for a proposed problem related to threatened or
endangered species, or to genetic variation of organisms for multiple species.]
Bell Work / Objectives
 Describe
and list the types of wildlife
habitat.
 List habitat requirements for selected
species of animal wildlife.
 Describe habitat mix.
 List the goals of habitat production.
 Describe selected management practices
for small areas of habitat.
Terms
 Biome
 Firebreaks
 Biotic
 Home
pyramid
 Clear-cut
 Cover
 Desert
 Edge
 Estuary
 Featured species
range
 Interspersion
 Metabolism
 Permafrost
 Savanna
 Space
 Species richness
Terms
 Stream
 Taiga
 Territory
 Tundra
 Understory
 Vegetation
management
Various Land Areas
 What
do you see in this image?
Dry
Wet
Hot
Cold
 What
kind of wildlife may be found?
What are the types of wildlife habitat?
 Habitat
for animal wildlife can be
classified based on ecosystems.
 Ecosystems are in areas known as
biomes.
 Biomes are large areas with distinct
combinations of animals and plants.
There are five types of terrestrial
biomes found in the United States.
Four of which are found in NM!
5 Types of Terrestrial Biomes
 Tropical
areas near the
equator.
 Areas
in forest or grassland with high
temperatures.
 Tend to have high rainfall with two
seasons: wet and dry.
 Birds, insects, frogs, and many other small
animals occupy the tops of trees.
 Tropical grassland areas tend to have low
rainfall but still provide habitats for small
grasses and forbs.
 This provides good habitat for grazing
animals, snakes, rodents, and lizards.
5 Types of Terrestrial Biomes
 Temperate
forest habitats
cover much of the southern
U.S. Both conifer and
deciduous trees are present.
The
precipitation varies from
moderate to heavy.
Berries, acorns, fruit, and
cones are produced for
squirrel, deer, rabbit, and
quail.
5 Types of Terrestrial Biomes

Grasslands and
Savannas host the
predominant vegetation
of grass.
 The
precipitation is too low to
support trees.
 There are many grazing
animals such as deer, elk, and
bison, and many other small
rodents, reptiles, and birds.
 A savanna is another name for
a grassland that is generally
used in South America.
5 Types of Terrestrial Biomes
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Tundra and taiga are both cold climates
found in North America.
 Tundra
is in the Arctic area or at other high
elevations and is characterized by low
temperatures and permafrost (permanently
frozen ground).
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Many lichens, mosses, a few shrubs, and some
grasses grow in tundra areas.
5 Types of Terrestrial Biomes
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Taiga areas have large conifer forests that can
withstand low temperatures and heavy loads of
snow.
5 Types of Terrestrial Biomes (cont.)
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A desert is a
sandy area with
very dry habitat
with little or no
rain.
 Temperatures
range from very
hot to very cold.
 Moist areas
may grow
shrubs or scrub
trees.
4 Types of Aquatic Biomes
 Lakes and ponds are natural or
artificial reservoirs of earth that
usually hold freshwater.
The
water temperatures vary with the
surrounding climate and source of the
water.
Algae, insects, and other small
creatures are sources of food for fish,
shellfish, and other aquatic wildlife.
4 Types of Aquatic Biomes
 A stream
is flowing water that
moves from higher to lower
elevation.
Some
of this water is from ground
runoff, springs, or released by users.
Creeks are small streams; rivers are
large streams.
This is the most common aquatic
biome in New Mexico.
4 Types of Aquatic Biomes
 Oceans
and Seas result from the
flow of freshwater streams into their
saltwater body.
Some
species prefer the mix of fresh
and saltwater in habitats.
4 Types of Aquatic Biomes
 Wetlands
and estuaries have a big
effect on land areas and serve as
important habitats for some species of
animal wildlife.
Swamps
and marshes are wetland area
along inland streams.
An estuary is the area where a stream
flows into an ocean.
 The
wildlife that live here can tolerate both
freshwater and brackish water.
What are habitat requirements for
selected species of animal wildlife?
 Wildlife species have life
requirements that must be met by
their habitat to insure well-being,
regardless of the biome inhabited.
Food
Water
Cover
Space
Life Requirements
 Food
All
living things require food.
Food provides the nutrients needed to live,
grow, and reproduce.
A key component of food is energy.
The series of transfers of food energy from
one organism to another is called a biotic
pyramid.
The internal process by which an organism
gets energy from food is metabolism.
Life Requirements
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Water
 This
is the basic need of life.
 Waters chemical structure is H 0.
 With terrestrial habitats, water determines what
species of plants will grow.
2
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 In
These plants will determine which animals live there.
aquatic habitats, there are damaging pollutants
such as siltation, sewage, etc. that will affect life.
 Some wildlife get most of their water through the
food that they eat, while many need a watering
area for drinking once or twice a day.
Life Requirements
 Cover
This
is needed for most wildlife species,
and is sometimes referred to as shelter.
Cover is the vegetation or other material
that provides safety in a habitat.
Animals use cover for nesting, resting, and
protection from predators and adverse
weather.
Life Requirements
 Space
 Space
provides air, food, and cover for wildlife species.
 Space is the area around an organism.
 The requirements vary with season, animal, and quality of
the habitat.
 The space an animal normally uses for living is called
home range. It is where the animal gets food, water, and
cover. For example the home range of a cougar in NM
may exceed fifty square mile.
 Within a home range, and individual animal may establish
a territory (area smaller that the home range).
What is habitat mix?
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Many animal wildlife species require more
than one stage of succession in their habitat.
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Two stages:
 Interspersion
 Edge
Interspersion
 Interspersion
is mixing lots of
different stages within an area.
 The
best way of measuring the
amount of interspersion is to use the
interspersion index principle.
Interspersion
 This
involves counting the number
of times a habitat changes from east
to west and north to south in aerial
photographs.
 Without
dispersal areas, animals
have limited access.
Edge
 Edge is the area where two habitats
meet.
 It is also known as ecotone.
 Habitats with a large amount of
edge provide more food, water, and
cover for a variety of species than
areas of the same vegetation type.
Edge
 Edge quality is measured by the
transition that occurs.
 Edges
with high contrast have more
species of animal wildlife than those
with low contrast.
What are the goals of habitat production?
 Habitat
management influences the
kinds and diversity of species
attracted to the area.
 Two main goals:
Provide
a habitat for a specific wildlife
species.
Provide habitats for many different
wildlife species.
Two Main Goals…
 To Provide a habitat for a specific
wildlife species.
Most
habitat is managed for a
featured species or for species
richness.
Featured species – species that will
be promoted through improved
habitat.
Featured Species is Whitetail Deer
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Establishment of food plots to control feeding areas
for deer are common. Especially when hunting will
be used as a management tool. This would be a
form of edge management. This is an example of a
year round management plot.
Two Main Goals…
When
managing a habitat for a featured
species, it is important to manage a habitat
to provide for the needs that are in shortest
supply.
This may be water, food, or cover.
In selecting habitat management practices,
the effects of practices on species other
than the featured species must be studied.
In New Mexico water is the most common
management tool for wildlife.
Two Main Goals…
 To provide habitats for many
different wildlife species.
Species
richness is the number of
different species found in an area.
Two Main Goals…
The
following are a part of the wildlife
management plan to promote species
richness: a mixture of successional
stages is present; unbroken block
sizes are of 10 to 40 acres; the edges
have high contrast; and a wide variety
of vegetation layers is present within
each area containing only one
successional stage.
Two Main Goals…
When
managing
habitat for
species
richness, the
goal is to
provide some
habitat for as
many species as
possible.
What are some selected management
practices for small areas of habitat?
 There are several practices used in
managing habitats for wildlife.
 The major practices include:
Vegetation
Management
Seeding
Water
Sources
Fire
Fertilizer
Site
Preservation
Vegetation Management

Vegetation management is using practices
that promote the growth of desired plant
species.
 This
can involve removing understory to promote habitat
for large animals.
Understory - vegetation that grows beneath trees in a
woodland.
 In NM as in other areas it may mean removal of
invasive plant species such as cactus, yucca, creosote
or mesquite.
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Vegetation Management
 Creating
clearings is done by clearcutting small areas within thicklywooded areas to attract deer and
elk.
Clear-cut
means that all the trees in
an area are cut.
Vegetation Management
 Thinning
an area is done by
selectively removing some of the
trees in a wooded area.
 This create holes in the tree canopy
and allows more room for smaller
trees to grow and improves edge
quality.
Seeding
 Establishing
food plots by seeding
promotes wildlife populations into an
area.
Seeding
is used to increase the plant
population.
Using species preferred food helps target
desired populations into an area.
Some common plants used in seeding
include: grasses, forbs, and trees.
Water Sources
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Water is necessary in order to live.
Ponds, streams, and even lakes are good sources
of water for many types of wildlife animals.
In NM livestock water tanks are a very important
source of wildlife water. Water is pumped by
windmills, solar pumps and motors. Earthen tanks
filled by runoff are also very important sources of
water.
It is important to keep these areas free of pollution
in order to insure a healthy population.
Fires
 Carefully
planned fires are a benefit to
habitat growth.
 Controlled
burns should never be used in dry
areas because wildfires can develop.
 Firebreaks are shallow ditches or trenches that
outline the fire in order to assure that it is
controlled.
 Fire removes twigs, leaves, and other dead
vegetation on the ground that has accumulated
over the years and some invasive plants.
 Properly using fire helps to renew understory and
allows for browse to grow.
Fertilizer
 Fertilizer is used to assure nutrients for
adequate plant growth.
 Plant
species require different nutrients, so it is important
to research these topics before purchasing a fertilizer.
 Soil testing may be needed in order to determine the kind
of fertilizer to use.
 When fertilizing, apply evenly over the land. It will produce
best results on grasses, forbs, and trees.
 Due to our large land mass and low rainfall in New
Mexico it is not generally a wise investment to attempt to
fertilize wildlife habitat.
Site Preservation
 In some cases, it is best to leave the
area undisturbed.
The
area must be studied in advance
because some practices may destroy
food supplies and habitats of animal
wildlife and cause them to leave.
Review / Summary
 What
are the types of wildlife habitat?
 What are habitat requirements for
selected species of animal wildlife?
 What is habitat mix?
 What are the goals of habitat
production?
 What are some selected management
practices for small areas of habitat?
The End!