Population Studies Page 79

Why do we study populations? Monitor health of the ecosystem Care for endangered species Monitor impacts on economics, fisheries, ecotourism, etc. Learn impacts of human development prior to building Intrinsic values

How do we study populations? Brands and external physical tags Internal markers and tags Radio collars and tags Body structures Nature cams Citizen science

Brands and Physical Tags Pros: Permanent, Can be monitored by boat or by web-cam, inexpensive, only requires one interaction with the animal Cons: Painful for the animal, can be difficult to see from a distance, requires sighting the animal

Internal Markers and Tags Pros: Won’t fall off, guarantees a definitive identification Cons: Requires the animal to either be caught or killed, can be more expensive than a traditional external tag

Radio Collars and Tags Pros: Can track an animal without sighting it, can track remotely using satellites Cons: Most expensive, can fall off, some are short-term and need to be replaced Follow @RockStarLydia

Body Structures Pros: Useful for animals that have to surface to breathe, inexpensive, can be done over the course of their entire lives, can help monitor movements and interactions Cons: Must sight the animal

Nature Cams Pros: Observe without disturb, low-cost, have filmed evidence of behaviors and interactions, 24/7 Cons: Low range of sight

Citizen Science Pros: Lots of (free) eyes to monitor the environment, easy to use monitoring websites Cons: Not always accurate