Bighorn sheep are an iconic species in the western United States, however, their population size is drastically lower than it once was historically. These sheep inhabit montane patches surrounded by urban and agricultural landscapes. Accordingly, bighorn sheep can be considered a metapopulation. Wildlife managers would like to increase the patch occupancy of bighorn sheep. Which of the following would be the most effective conservation/restoration strategy?     None of these statements is an effective conservation strategy.   Increase patch size and quality, and decrease the distance between patches.   Increase patch size and the distance between patches, and decrease patch quality.   Increase the distance between patches and patchy quality, and decrease patch size.   Decrease patch size, distance between patches, and patch quality.

We discussed the threats that currently impact biodiversity across the globe. Of all of them, which do you think are the two most important ones threatening survival of whale species? Briefly explain your choice in 3-4 sentences each.

What if we were able to restore some critical salmon habitat, like the forests surrounding the spawning streams? To test this restoration, increase K to 40,000 fish. What would that do to the MSY value? [ Select ] Does this mean you would be able to harvest more or less fish? [ Select ]

Populations are unable to sustain exponential growth for very long because environments are not unlimited. Eventually growth rates are reduced by a shortage of food, space or some other factor. These factors constitute what is known as ‘environmental resistance’ and their effect upon growth may produce a logistic growth curve. The data shown in the Table below illustrate this pattern of growth for three species’ populations, each beginning with a population of 10 individuals.     Table 1: Temporal changes in the numbers of individuals of three different species’ populations, observed in the wild. Time (units) 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Population 1 10 15 20 28 39 48 57 66 81 88 93 107 108 108 108 108 119 Population 2 10 11 12 14 17 19 21 25 29 33 37 41 40 43 46 49 46 Population 3 10 17 27 39 52 64 67 69 70 78 83 86 88 80 84…