In the midst of the Applied Populations course right now, our work is based mostly on self-studies, where we are guided or introduced to a subject by a lecture, and then given assignments to promote us in furthering our searchlights beyond the lecture content.
Out of the assignments handed out so far, we’ve covered a broad range!
- Trade-Offs: Why can’t animals just get bigger, better, faster, stronger?
- Metapopulations: Some populations interact or are dependent upon one another – what governs these interactions and what implications does that have for conservation and management of species?
- Environmental Stochasticity: What effect can the unexpected environment have on our estimations?
- Life tables: How do we “forecast” what our population will look like in the future from a snapshot of what the population looks like today?
- Genetic Drift: What happens when populations become too small and why does this lead to an increased risk of unfavorable defects or diseases?
- Sustainable Harvest: How do we plan for harvesting a population, and how do we avoid pitfalls?
Which one do you think sounds the most interesting? Leave a comment below and let me know! 🙂