Wildlife
WLF F101 Survey of Wildlife Science
1 Credit Offered Fall.
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. (1+0)
WLF F201 Wildlife Management Principles
3 Credits Offered Spring
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. Prerequisites: BIOL F271. Recommended: Previous microcomputer experience. (2+3)
WLF F303W Wildlife Management Techniques
3 Credits Offered Fall
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: BIOL F271; ENGL F111X; ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X or permission of instructor; WLF F201 or equivalent. (2+3)
WLF F304 Wildlife Internships
1 - 3 Credits
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. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor. (1 - 3+0)
WLF F305 Wildlife Diseases
3 Credits Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
Basic concepts of parasitic, infectious, environmental and nutritional diseases. Specific study of Alaska wildlife diseases. Basic necropsy technique and chemical immobilization. Prerequisites: BIOL F115X and BIOL F116X or equivalent; or permission of instructor. Recommended: BIOL F310; BIOL F317. (2+3)
WLF F410 Wildlife Populations and Their Management
3 Credits Offered Fall
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 F271; calculus course; introductory STAT course; WLF F303 or BIOL F471. (2+3)
WLF F419O/2 Waterfowl and Wetlands Ecology and Management
4 Credits Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: BIOL F271; BIOL F426; COMM F131X or COMM F141X; WLF F201; or permission of instructor. (3+3)
WLF F421 Ecology and Management of Large Mammals
3 Credits Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
Identification, taxonomy, distribution, life history and ecology of North American large mammals. Exploration of roles of reproduction, predation, nutrition, habitat alteration and competition in population dynamics of large mammals, and management practices designed for conservation of habitats and populations. Prerequisites: BIOL F271; WLF F201 or permission of instructor. Recommended: WLF F303. (3+0)
WLF F431 Wildlife Law and Policy
3 Credits
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. Prerequisites: WLF F201 or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with NRM F431.) (3+0)
WLF F433 Conservation Genetics
3 Credits Offered Spring
Concepts of population genetics, phylogenetics, pedigree analysis, systematics and taxonomy as they apply to conservation of species. Evaluating the impact of small population size, population fragmentation, inbreeding, hybridization, taxonomic uncertainties and other factors on viability and management of species. Prerequisites: BIOL F271 and BIOL F362 or equivalents; or permission of instructor. Recommended: BIOL/NRM F277. (Cross-listed with BIOL F433. Stacked with BIOL F633; WLF F633.) (3+0)
WLF F458 Vertebrate Endocrinology
3 Credits Offered Fall, Spring; As Demand Warrants
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 homeostasis and of specific behaviors. Examples to be taken mostly from recent comparative studies. Prerequisites: BIOL F310 or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with BIOL F458.) (3+0)
WLF F460 Wildlife Nutrition
3 Credits Offered Fall
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 F271; BIOL F310. (Cross-listed with BIOL F459. Stacked with BIOL F659; WLF F660.) (3+0)
WLF F469O Landscape Ecology and Wildlife Habitat
3 Credits Offered Spring
A problem-based learning and critical thinking approach to modern methods in landscape ecology, including geographic information systems, remote sensing, modeling, software, and the Internet. Graduate students are expected to help undergraduates with problems and questions. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: BIOL F217 or equivalent; COMM F131X or COMM F141X. (Cross-listed with BIOL F469. Stacked with BIOL F669; WLF F669.) (2+3)
WLF F485 Global Change Biology
3 Credits Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years
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 F271; CHEM F105X; CHEM F106X. (Cross-listed with BIOL F485.) (3+0)
WLF F602 Research Design
3 Credits Offered Fall
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. (Cross-listed with BIOL F602.) (3+0)
WLF F603 Biotelemetry
3 Credits Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
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. (2+3)
WLF F614 Foraging Ecology
2 Credits Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
The dynamics of herbivory, emphasizing the foraging 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 plant-herbivore systems. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or approval of instructor. (Cross-listed with BIOL F614.) (2+0)
WLF F622 Readings in Conservation Biology
3 Credits Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
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 F471 or WLF F410; graduate standing; or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with BIOL F622.) (3+0)
WLF F625 Analysis of Vertebrate Population Survival and Movement
3 Credits Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years
Contemporary methods of estimation of fundamental population parameters, survival and movement, with their implications 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 F271; STAT F401. (Cross-listed with FISH F625.) (2+3)
WLF F633 Conservation Genetics
3 Credits Offered Spring
Concepts of population genetics, phylogenetics, pedigree analysis, systematics and taxonomy as they apply to conservation of species. Evaluating the impact of small population size, population fragmentation, inbreeding, hybridization, taxonomic uncertainties and other factors on viability and management of species. Prerequisites: BIOL F271 and BIOL F362 or equivalents or permission of instructor. Recommended: BIOL/NRM F277. (Cross-listed with BIOL F633. Stacked with BIOL F433; WLF F433.) (3+3)
WLF F660 Wildlife Nutrition
4 Credits Offered Fall
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. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: BIOL F271; BIOL F310; graduate standing; or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with BIOL F659. Stacked with BIOL F459; WLF F460.) (3+3)
WLF F669 Landscape Ecology and Wildlife Habitat
3 Credits Offered Spring
A problem-based learning and critical thinking approach to modern methods in landscape ecology, including geographic information systems, remote sensing, modeling, software, and the Internet. Graduate students are expected to help undergraduates with problems and questions. Special fees apply. Prerequisites: Graduate standing. (Cross-listed with BIOL F669. Stacked with BIOL F469; WLF F469.) (2+3)
WLF F680 Data Analysis in Biology
3 Credits Offered Fall Even-numbered Years
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 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 F200X, STAT F401; graduate standing in a biologically oriented field; or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with BIOL F680.) (2+3)
WLF F692 Graduate Seminar
1 - 6 Credits
Topics in fish and wildlife management explored through readings, talks, group discussions and guest speakers with a high level of student participation. Graded Pass/Fail. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (0+0+1 - 6)