Wildlife
WLF 101 (1 Credit) Spring
Survey of Wildlife Science (1+0)
Major aspects of wildlife biology and management, research of local wildlife biologists and programs of management agencies. (Recommended: A course emphasizing the biology of nonhuman organisms.)
WLF 201 (3 Credits) Spring
Wildlife Management Principles (2+3)
Application of ecological principles to the study and management of wildlife populations and their habitat. Management of game and non-game species considered. Computer exercises explore population dynamics, habitat use and exploitation strategies. (Prerequisite: BIOL 271. Recommended: Previous microcomputer experience.)
WLF 303W (3 Credits) Fall
Wildlife Management Techniques (2+3)
Study of procedures used by wildlife biologists and managers to collect, analyze, and disseminate information. Topics include using wildlife literature and scientific writing; behavioral sampling; nomenclature, identification, and sexing and aging of wildlife; census methods; habitat evaluation and manipulation; biotelemetry; home range; food habits and modeling; and necropsy procedures, animal condition, and wildlife diseases. Term paper required. (Prerequisites: WLF 201 or equivalent, BIOL 271.)
WLF 304 (1 - 3 Credits) Fall, Spring
Wildlife Internships
Practical experience in wildlife management in public or private agencies. Projects are approved by faculty member and supervised by professional agency staff. May not be substituted for courses required for major. (Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.)
WLF 305 (3 Credits) Alternate Spring
Wildlife Diseases (2+3)
Basic concepts of parasitic, infectious, environmental, and nutritional diseases. Specific study of Alaskan wildlife diseases. Basic necropsy technique and chemical immobilization. (Prerequisites: BIOL 105X, 106X or equivalent; or permission of instructor. Recommended: BIOL 310 and 317. Next offered: 2001 - 02.)
WLF 410 (3 Credits) Spring
Wildlife Populations and Their Management (2+3)
The characteristics and ecology of wildlife populations and the knowledge necessary for their wise management. Measures of abundance, dispersal, fecundity and mortality, population modeling, competition and predation, and the management of rare species and their habitats. (Prerequisites: BIOL 271; MATH 200X or 272X; STAT 200; WLF 303 or BIOL 471.)
WLF 419O/2 (4 Credits) Alternate Fall
Waterfowl and Wetlands Ecology and Management (3+3)
Ecology of waterfowl and associated wetland habitats. Management of populations, including harvest and manipulation of habitats. Distribution, abundance, taxonomy and identification of North American waterfowl. (Prerequisites: BIOL 271, BIOL 426, and WLF 201 or permission of instructor. Next offered: 2001 - 02.)
WLF 431 (3 Credits) Spring
Wildlife Law and Policy (3+0)
(Cross-listed with NRM 431)
Study of laws and agencies shaping wildlife management in North America. History and current status of major policy issues. Organization of and funding sources for state and federal programs in wildlife conservation. (Prerequisite: WLF 201 or permission of instructor.)
WLF 458 (3 Credits) Alternate Spring
Vertebrate Endocrinology (3+0)n
(Cross-listed with BIOL 458)
Introduction to the mechanisms of action and the roles of the main hormonal systems that operate in vertebrates. Hormone effects at the organ, tissue, and (sub)cellular levels. Hormonal control of homeostatis and of specific behaviors. Examples to be taken mostly from recent comparative studies. (Prerequisite: BIOL 310 or permission of instructor.)
WLF 460 (3 Credits) Fall
Nutrition and Physiological Ecology of Wildlife (3+0)
(Stacked with WLF 660)
Concepts and techniques used by wildlife biologists to understand relationships between wild animals and their habitats. Techniques for constructing energy and nutrient budgets of wild animals and applications of these budgets to population level processes and habitat management. (Prerequisites: BIOL 310, 271, WLF 201.)
WLF 485 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall
Global Change Biology (3+0) n
(Cross-listed with BIOL 485)
Contemporary science and policy concerns of global change that involve biological processes. Includes structural and functional responses and sensitivities of biological processes to environmental changes (such as climate and human uses of land and biological resources); implications of biological responses to global change for conservation and management of biological resources; and the social and economic consequences of biological responses to global change. (Prerequisites: BIOL 271, CHEM 105X and CHEM 106X. Next offered: 2001 - 02.)
WLF 602 (3 Credits) Fall
Research Design (3+0)
(Cross-listed with BIOL 602)
An introduction to the philosophy, performance and evaluation of hypothetical/deductive research in the natural sciences, with emphasis on hypothesis formulation and testing. Each student will develop a research proposal.
WLF 603 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall
Biotelemetry (2+3)
An introduction to the basics of radio and ultrasonic telemetry and their application to the study of the ecology, behavior and physiology of vertebrates in terrestrial freshwater and marine environments. Review of concepts, equipment demonstration and a class project to expose students to an important tool for biological fisheries and wildlife investigations. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing; or senior with instructor approval.)
WLF 614 (2 Credits) Alternate Spring
Grazing Ecology (2+0)
(Cross-listed with BIOL 614)
The dynamics of herbivory, emphasizing the grazing process, and including mechanisms of feeding, feeding behavior, habitat and plant selection, physiological influences on feeding, plant and community level responses, plant defenses against herbivory and management of grazing systems. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing or approval of instructor.)
WLF 620 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall
Techniques in Physiology and Nutrient Analysis (2+3)
(Cross-listed with BIOL 620)
Techniques for analysis of energy, protein, lipid and carbohydrates in animal and plant tissues. Application of body condition and tracer methods to large and small animals. Students collect samples, perform analyses, calculate results and present a poster on their investigations. Laboratory fee: $50.00. (Prerequisites: WLF 460 or BIOL 303, graduate standing or permission of instructor.)
WLF 621 (3 Credits) Alternate Spring
Vertebrate Population Dynamics (2+3)
Assessing, describing, and interpreting the characteristics and dynamics of wild populations. Estimates of survival, mortality, and recruitment rates, and of population size, and assessment of population trends and welfare using data from sources such as hunter-kill samples, composition counts, marking and recapturing, predation, and various types of surveys. Students will proceed from simplified artificial data sets to complex real ones. Both analytic and simulation techniques will be used. (Prerequisites: Admission by arrangement. Minimal preparation equivalent to BIOL 271, MATH 200X and STAT 300; and graduate standing.)
WLF 622 (2 Credits) Alternate Spring
Readings in Conservation Biology (2+0)
(Cross-listed with BIOL 622)
Critical reading and discussion of historical and contemporary literature concerning extinction patterns, population viability, and the preservation, design, and management of habitats for small populations. Stresses integration of principles into strategies for biological conservation. (Prerequisites: BIOL 471 or WLF 410; graduate standing; or permission of instructor. Next offered: 2002-03.)
WLF 625 (4 Credits) Alternate Spring
Analysis of Vertebrate Population (3+3)
(Cross-listed with FISH 625)
Contemporary methods of estimation of fundamental population parameters, abundance and survival, with their implication for management. Focus will be on assumptions and methodology of estimation techniques. State-of-the-art computer applications will be employed in laboratory exercises of actual and simulated data. (Prerequisites: BIOL 271 and STAT 401.)
WLF 636 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall
Life History Evolution (2+0+3)
(Cross-listed with BIOL 636)
Examination of theory and literature pertaining to life history evolution, including demography, basic quantitative genetics. Importance of trade-offs and population processes is discussed. Exposure to methods of estimation of life history parameters. All students will present a formal seminar.
WLF 655 (2 Credits) Fall
Principles of Humane Animal Care and Use (2+0)
(Cross-listed with BIOL 655)
Humane care and use of animals in laboratory or field research settings. Promotes a sensitivity and concern for the needs of the research animal to ensure that optimal care is provided. Topics include ethics, legislation, role of the IACUC, animal handling, animal research hazards, wildlife capture and marking techniques, anesthesia, and principles of aseptic surgery. Fulfills the formal training required by the Animal Welfare Regulations and Public Health Services Policy for individuals working with live vertebrates in a research or teaching environment. (Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.)
WLF 660 (4 Credits) Fall
Nutrition and Physiological Ecology of Wildlife (3+3)
(Stacked with WLF 460)
Concepts and techniques used by wildlife biologists to understand relationships between wild animals and their habitats. Techniques for constructing energy and nutrient budgets of wild animals and applications of these budgets to population level processes and habitat management. (Prerequisites: BIOL 310, 271 and WLF 201; graduate standing; or permission of instructor.)
WLF 680 (3 Credits) Alternate Fall
Data Analysis in Biology (2+3)
(Cross-listed with BIOL 680 and STAT 680)
Biological applications of nonparametric statistics, including tests based on binomial and Poisson distributions, analysis of two-way and multiway contingency tables, and tests based on ranks; multivariate statistics, including principal component analysis, ordination techniques, cluster analysis, and discriminate analysis; and time-series analyses. Introduction to the use of the computer and use of statistical packages. Each student will analyze a data set appropriate to the student's research interests. (Prerequisites: STAT 200, STAT 401 and either graduate standing in a biologically oriented field or permission of instructor.)
WLF 692 (1 Credit) Fall, Spring
Graduate Seminar (0+0+1)
Topics in fish and wildlife management explored through readings, talks, group discussions and guest speakers with a high level of student participation. (Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor.)