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COE - 

?

4.19-.3.. 

WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 

From ?

SENATE COMMITTEE ON UNDERGRADUATE 

STUDIES 

Date

.......... 

?

A98.3. 

Action undertaken by the Senate Committee on Undergraduate 

Studies at its meeting of April 19, 1983 gives rise to the following 

motion: 

MOTION: "That Senate approve and recommend approval to the 

Board of Governors, as set forth in S.83-43, 

the proposed new course BISC 419-3 - Wildlife Biology" 

.

SENATE COMMITTEE 

ON

UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

NEW COURSE

PROPOSAL FORM' 

•.

1. Calendar Information

Department: BlOLOCICjS(:j!:

Credit Hours: 3Vectr)r:2-0-4

Title of Course:

Wildlife Biology

. .

Calendar Description of Course: Theoretical and applied aspects of ecology

and behaviour in relation to wildlife populations and their habitats, with

emphasis on important mammals and birds in British Columbia.

Attendance on loral field trips is required. .

. ?

• Njtur . of Course ? 

Lecture and Laboratory

Prerequisites,

(or special 

instructions)

1iISC 304 Animal Ecology, with RISC 31

6 Vertebrate Biology recommended.

What course

"(courses), 

if' any, 'is being dropped from the, calendar if this cour.i

approved: ? 

NONE ? 

.

2. Scheduling

How

frequently

will

the course be offered? Once/year

Semester in which the course will

first be offered?

1984-2

• ?

Which of your present faculty would be available to make the proposed offcrir.'.m

ossible?

.Dr. Alton S. llarpsrad

3. Ojectives of the COurse

to understand principles of biocuergetics and nutrition and how

tIny 

apply

to sclec'ted . .wilduife species.

to know the habitat and'othcr requirements common' to all

wildlife and 

provide specific examples.

'3 .

) to understand principles

'of

population dynamics and behaviour and how

Lu

interpret them to solve problems in

wildlife 

biology.

6) to Illustrate the biological bases which determine

the way wildlife repoi'

to forest, agricultural

and

recreational practices.

4. Budgetary and Space Requirements (for information only)

What

additional 

resources will be required in the following 'areas:

Faculty' 

?

nOne

Staff 

?

'

?

none 

5.

Date:./9

Approval 

_ ?

?

.

updrtment Cha 

' ?

romnietina this Fnr,,,,. 

for

4r,r,

Prolioned new undergraduate course BLS(; 419 

WILDLIFE BIOLOGY

It.i t 

iOfl.1

I

A course in wildlife biology at Simon Fraser University would both complement 

the existing biology curriculum and satisfy student interest in Biological 

Science 

,

,, as well as the Resource Management Program. 

Evtronmental 

awareness increased substantially by the late 1960's and continues to be 

sustained. Besides this awareness, use of natural systems has become 

intensive through development and population growth, and clearly stretches 

ecosystems to their limits of productivity and integrity. Both phenomena 

have generated high public concern for wildlife and contribute to the 

significance of the wildlife resource in British Columbia. 

British Columbia cnuys diverse and important species of wildlife. The 

topographic relief and climatic differences between coastal and Interior, 

and southern and northern portionit of the province result in a great 

diversity of vegetation zones. The 

diversity 

of habitats in these tones 

support many wildlife species. Of 163 species of mammals and 409 species o 

birds 

occ*'rri'g in Canada, 

71Z occur In British Columbia. Our provirce Ls 

greater divrrblty 

wildlife than any other province or territory in 

Canada. 

The strong public concern and great diversity of wildlife 

in British 

Culumbth compel us to ensure students have the opportunity to study vhdl If 

biology, explore its principles and understand its practices. A wildlife 

course would fit into the Ecology Stream in Biological Sciences.. The 

proposed course provides a Irainework by which theory and principles Learned 

in the Ecology Stream can be Interpreted and applied to understand lug 

scientific and public issues concerning wildlife biology. 

This proposed wildlife biology course was offered as a Special Topics 

course, BISC 472, In semester 82-I. Although a 4th-level course, response 

was strong, with 20 st II(ient s completing the course. 

.

3.

Courae OUtj4!! 

Lectures 

Lectures will explore principles of behaviour and ecology and apply thurn 

to interpret responses of wildlife to environmental changes. 

The

following subjects will be covered.. 

--

.-e ii.,. ..i1.fl4f

resource in British Columbi.1 

- overview and signIticiflCC 

oi ?

energy budgets: metabolism, heat production and loss 

- bioenergCtics and nutrition of ruminants and non-ruminants 

- habitat requirements of wildlife: food, water, and cover 

- behaviour: feeding, social organization, responses to physical factor4 

- dispersal and 

spatial

organization 

- reproduction and mortality 

- population growth and regulation 

- harvesting wildlife: principles and practice with emphasis on large 

mammals and furbearers 

- biology and management of selected wildlife species. 

LaL)ora tor les 

-orders of B.C. mammals and their morpholOiCal characteristics; factor'; 

generating the wide diversity of wildlife in B.C. are examined 

- Rodentia and Carnlvora are considered in greater detail, noting the 

ecological relationships between them. The concept of niche is 

explored by comparing various aspects of the life histories of the 

Mu s tel ida e. 

- Identificati 

on

of B.C. mammals learned in the first lab sessions 1 

used to analyze owl casts. The food habits and bioeflergetics of 

Barn

Owls from gross energy intake to metabolizable energy is calculated 

and discussed. 

- It is beyond the scope of BISC 419 to treat all 228 species of birds 

resident in B. 

C.

Two lab sessions examine the important groups of 

birds, emphasizing morphological adaptations to ecological nities. 

- Seabirds are considered in detail. A map showing numbers and 

composition of seabird 

c?lofliCS

along the B.C. coast is used to 

examine trends in distribution and colonial behaviour. The adapti'.' 

significan 

ce

of these trends is discussed. 

- In 3 lab 

SCSSIOflS

students consider relationships between shrubs, 

trees, snow and ungulates. They measure shrub productivity as it 

relates to forest practices and in the field examine the.effeCtS of 

snow on forage availability. During a field trip to a local wildlife 

refuge deer use in various plant associations is estimated by pcfle( 

group counts and habitat requirements are discussed. 

7

laboratories (contd.) 

-

rcproductiVC parameters

of wildlife populations are determined by 

aging fisher 

and wolverine from

dental 

annuli

and using foetal 

counts

to calculate 

age specific

natality and mortality. 

-

The final 

lab

sessions acquaint students with some of the application.. 

of ;lmiilatiofl modtIs 

wildlife,

biology.

Importance of variou 

parameter 

s

and krvcst rates are examined for their effects on the 

popu1t Ion dynamIcs of selected ungulates. 

S N FRASER UNIVERrI

/

?

MEMORANDUM ? 

-

To ? 

C. I. Kemp, Chairman 

?

From ? 

M. Deutsch 

DUCC 

?

Sciences Division 

Biological Science 

?

Library 

Subjod 

?

Wildlife Biology, BISC 419 

?

Date ? 

82/09/08 

.

The Library can adequately support the proposed new course, 

Wildlife Biology, Bisc 

419. 

Bdok and Journal material in 

the area of wildlife biology have been purchased continuously 

for the past ten years. Printed Indexing publications 

(Biological Abstracts, Zoological Record, etc.) as well as 

computer searchable databases are available. All periodicals 

requested on your memo 

(82/08/31) 

are In the. Library; four 

books not available will be ordered. No additional funds 

are required. 

ah