Problem-Solving in Conservation Biology and Wildlife Management

James Gibbs is Associate Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry.Malcolm J. Hunter Jr is the Libra Professor of Conservation Biology and Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Maine, Orono. He is also the former President of the Society for Conservation Biology. Eleanor J. Sterling is Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology at Columbia University.

“Much of this book is presented in term of timely and realistic questions or problems that many conservation biologists and wildlife managers face. Readers are given manageable data and the appropriate tools to address those questions.” (The Quarterly Review of Biology, March 2009)

• Preface viiAcknowledgments xPart 1 Introduction 11. What is Biodiversity? Spiders as Exemplars of the Biodiversity Concept 32. What is Conservation Biology? An Analysis of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund’s Strategies and Funding Priorities 133. Why is Biodiversity Important? Why Is It Threatened? An Exploration with the IUCN ‘‘Red List’’ of Threatened Species 21Part 2 Genes 294. Population Genetics: Diversity Within Versus Diversity Among Populations 315. Genetic Drift: Establishing Population Management Targets to Limit Loss of Genetic Diversity 366. Pedigree Management: Controlling the Effects of Inbreeding as Indicated by Fluctuating Asymmetry 427. Landscape Genetics: Identifying Movement Corridors 48Part 3 Populations 578. Life Table Analysis: Balancing Commercial Fisheries with Sea Bird ‘‘By-Catch’’ 599. Population Viability Analysis: El Niño Frequency and Penguin Population Persistence 6610. Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: Ecological Traps, Connectivity, and Issues of Scale 7411. Diagnosing Declining Populations: Assessing Monitoring Data to Better Understand Causes of Rarity in an Endangered Cactus 8312. Estimating Population Size with Line Transects and DISTANCE 8813. Analyzing Camera Trap Data with PRESENCE 10514. Estimating Population Size with Mark-recapture Data and MARK 125Part 4 Species 13915. Estimating ‘‘Biodiversity’’: Indices, Effort, and Inference 14116. Designing a Zoo: Ex Situ Centers for Conservation, Research, and Education 15617. Plant Reintroductions: Reestablishing Extirpated Populations 17418. Edge Effects: Designing a Nest Predation Experiment 179Part 5 Ecosystems and Landscapes 18519. Ecosystem Fragmentation: Patterns and Consequences for Biodiversity 18720. Forest Harvesting: Balancing Timber Production and Parrot Habitat 19621. Protected Areas: A Systematic Conservation Planning Approach for Ecoregions 20122. Island Biogeography: How Park Size and Condition Affect the Number of Species Protected 21323. GIS for Conservation: Mapping and Analyzing Distributions of Wild Potato Species for Reserve Design 22124. Global Change: Will a Cold-Adapted Frog Survive in a Warmer World? 23325. Climate Envelope Modeling: Inferring the Ranges of Species to Facilitate Biological Exploration, Conservation Planning, and Threat Analysis 244Part 6 Policy and Organizations 25526. Population, Consumption, or Governance: Which Drives Species Imperilment Most in Africa and Europe? 25727 Overconsumption: Who’s Smarter Students or their Professors? 26428. Conservation Values: Assessing Public Attitudes 26929. Priority Setting: Where Around the Globe Should We Invest Our Conservation Efforts? 27930. An International Debate: Commercial Fishing in Galápagos National Park 28931. Conservation Law: Should the Polar Bear be Listed as a Threatened Species? 29632. Conservation Policy: Shaping Your Government 304Literature Cited 310Index 317