WFS 446Wildlife and Fisheries Population Dynamics

3 credits · Wildlife and Fisheries Science · Penn State

Wildlife and Fisheries Population Dynamics focuses on the concepts and tools needed to make predictions about how populations of fish and wildlife respond to changes in their environment, external stressors, and management actions. Students will learn the mathematical and programming tools needed to measure population processes and make predictions about future population sizes. The students will have opportunities to apply these concepts and tools to address fish and wildlife population management problems. Examples include assessing the effects of harvest, managing invasive species and wildlife diseases, reducing extinction risk and recovering small populations, and predicting the efficacy of a range of management actions affecting population demography. Students taking the class will need to have an understanding of basic fish and wildlife ecology, tools and techniques for monitoring populations, and general concepts related to the conservation and fish and wildlife management.