Lecture 24

Question 1

What are some of the leading causes of bird death in Canada (9 total)?

Answer 1

1. Cats
2. Power lines, wind turbines
3. Collisions w/buildings
4. Collisions w/vehicles
5. Hunting
6. Agricultural Pesticides
7. Agricultural Harvesting
8. Commercial Forestry
9. Communication Towers

Question 2

These animals are negatively affected by habitat loss/fragmentation (4):

Answer 2

• Scarlet Tanager
• Wood Thrush
• Eastern Wolf
• Shrikes (low-flying; could get hit by cars)

Question 3

These animals benefit from habitat fragmentation (i.e. less forest) (3):

Answer 3

• Coyote
• White-tailed Deer
• Brown-headed Cowbird

Question 4

How do ravens benefit from paved roads?

Answer 4

• More roadkill to eat

Question 5

Examples of habitat degradation (2):

Answer 5

• Plastics in the ocean/on land

- Eutrophication of waterways - excess algae growth due to increase in nutrients coming in

Question 6

What is botulism?

Answer 6

Illness caused by a bacteria - can be fatal

Question 7

Asian Carp in ON

Answer 7

• Introduced to control algae/catfish in the US, but spread via floodwaters
• Disrupt food chain and push out native fish
• population grows rapidly; difficult to control

Question 8

Name 3 invasive species in ON:

Answer 8

• Asian Carp
• Japanese Beetle
• Crown Vetch

Question 9

Although this caterpillar eats Crown Vetch, it’s not enough to decrease the plant’s population:

Answer 9

Wild Indigo Duskywing caterpillars

Question 10

What is White Nose Syndrome?

Answer 10

Fungal disease that affects bats

Question 11

T/F: European bats are better adapted to dealing w/White Nose Syndrome than bats in N. America

Answer 11

True

Question 12

How does White Nose Syndrome affect bats?

Answer 12

• Fungus grows on skin tissues
• Repeatedly wakes them from hibernation, so thy consume winter fat stores
• Bats starve to death

Question 13

Name two animals that are negatively impacted by climate change (and how)

Answer 13

• Canada Jays; winter food caches spoil
• Freeze-tolerant frogs; warm up while dormant and use up the glycogen needed to lay eggs - repeated warming can kill them

Question 14

Name two animals that benefit from climate change (and how)

Answer 14

Red-bellied woodpecker + giant swallowtail; both have expanded northward

Question 15

Name two factors that have led to increases in the populations of double-breasted cormorants + peregrine falcons:

Answer 15

• less DDT in environment

- reintroduction program

Question 16

Name two other birds (not cormorant or peregrine) that have rebounded due to less DDT use:

Answer 16

• Merlin (a small falcon)

- Bald eagle

Question 17

What (or rather, who) was one reason for the decline in the populations of birds of prey?

Answer 17

Jack Miner

Question 18

What are some ways in which humans negatively affected some animal populations?

Answer 18

• Poisoning of eagles, ravens
• Wolves were shot/snared
• Deer carcasses were laced with strychnine and eaten by other animals