Description
Book SynopsisBrings together the principles of ecology, population biology, wildlife conservation and management. Examines wildlife in the context of ecosystems and the factors which determine population levels. Considers the problems of conservation and management from national and international points of view. Shows why single-species approaches often fail.
Table of Contents1 What Good Are Wild Animals 3
Wildlife Values 5
Commercial values 5
Game Values 7
Aesthetic values 8
Ethical values 9
Scientific values 9
Ecological values 10
Wildlife As a Natural Resource 11
The Status of Wildlife Conservation 13
2 The Ten-Thousand Year War 19
3 Everything Tied Together 29
Functioning of Ecosystems 30
Energy flow 30
Nutrient cycling 33
Hydrologic cycles 34
Food chains and webs 35
Ecosystem Development 35
Change and Degradation 39
Distribution of Biotic Communities 44
Faunal regions 44
Biomes 46
Biotic provinces 47
Ecologic Niches 48
4 A Place to Live 55
Enough to Eat 57
Effects on plants 59
Dietary needs 60
Seasonal changes in food values 60
Soils and nutrition 63
Other factors affecting food supply 64
Cover 66
Water 68
Quantity versus Interspersion 71
Limiting Factors 71
5 Introducing Wildlife Populations 75
Density and Biomass 76
Population Structure 81
Natality 83
Clutch size and litter size 89
Length of breeding season and numbers of clutches or litters per year 85
Breeding age 86
Sex ratio and mating habits 87
Density 87
Maximum natality 88
Mortality 89
Predation 89
Diseases and parasites 90
Poisoning 92
Accidents 94
Weather 94
Starvation 95
Stress 95
Hunting 96
Overall effects of mortality 96
Interaction of Population Characteristics 98
Turnover 99
Productivity 100
6 Territory and Travels 103
Movements Internal to the Population Area 104
Home range 104
Migration 106
Movements External to the Population Area 109
Group Size and Spacing 111
Territory 112
Significance of Spacing and Movements 115
7 Too Many Mice, Too Few Elephants 119
New Populations In New Habitats 120
Some Real Life Problems 125
Exponential growth 125
Slow growth 127
The Annual Cycle of Populations 130
“Shootable Surplus” 132
Stocking of Game 133
Stability of Populations 133
Stable populations 133
Stable populations 135
Cyclic populations 135
The 3-4 year cycle 135
The 10-year cycle 139
Irruptive populations 143
Evolutionary Strategies 146
8 Levelling Off 151
The Many Meanings of Carrying Capacity 151
Subsistence density 152
Optimum density 155
Security density 155
Tolerance density 158
Intermediate situations 161
9 Declining Diversity 167
Species Extinction and Area Size 169
Destruction of Habitat 171
Nature Reserves 174
Animal Trade 177
International Assistance 178
10 The Controllers 181
References 195
Index 204
