Population Viability.pptVIP

Population Viability Analyses (PVA) Presentation 1 Lesson 7 PVA Most PVA’s consider internal factors (sex ratio, number of births, survival, etc) and the effect of these internal factors on population persistence We will study the effect of external factors (habitat, disturbances) in a later class. Ideas of population persistence Human the hunter realized that habitat type is important for distribution and abundance of prey Humans also understood that habitat quality is important With the advent of agriculture and animal husbandry humans realized that sex ratios, age of individuals, and morphological characteristics were important for reproduction. Ideas of population persistence (cont.) Island biogeography showed us habitat quantity is fundamental to survival of a population (even with the best habitat without enough of it population would not survive) In the 1990s we realized that habitat pattern important (metapopulation theory) Not only must we have enough good habitat it must be arranged in an appropriate pattern E.g.: northern spotted owl in NW US and Canada Review of metapopulation theory Source and sink dynamics Source = surplus individuals produced migrate to areas available for them to live Sources have demographics that lead to population increase Source has habitat suitable for population increase Sink = space available for migrants Source and sink dynamics Studies show that small % of total population may be located in source habitat As little as10 % of population could be source* Provided new definition for key (or critical) habitat Key habitat= defined by habitat specific reproductive success and survivorship not just population density Northern Spotted Owl Purpose of Population Viability Analyses (PVA) To study how habitat loss, environmental uncertainty, demographic stocasticity, and genetic factors determine extinction probabilities for individual species Application of PVA We can use PVA to model the probability of a population failing or prosp