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Instructions for Exploring the Conservation Biology Practice Exercises
Every chapter in the Second Edition of Conservation Biology concludes with a Practice Exercise, which provide students the opportunity to learn and apply research skills and concepts related to the chapter content.
Chapter 13 Practice Exercise: Population Viability Analysis (PVA)
Species conservation efforts are often concerned with the fate of populations, especially of rare, threatened, or endangered species. Population viability analysis can be used to estimate the probability of viability and extinction of a given population that can be helpful for conservation planning. In this practice exercise, we will cover the general approach to PVA, then walk through a PVA analysis using a stochastic model to estimate viability and extinction. A set of questions will follow that will give you practice building other PVAs and exploring the sensitivity of results to changes in the key inputs to the analysis.
1. Begin with the Videos
Each Practice Exercise begins with videos from author James D. Murdoch that 1) introduce the Practice Exercise and concepts involved; 2) explore and explain the concepts in depth; and 3) demonstrate tools used in the practical study of those concepts.
For each Chapter Practice Exercise, the student should watch these videos first!
Chapter 13 Video Topics: Population Viability Analysis
- Population viability analysis (PVA) overview
- Predicting population size in the future using a model
- Conducting a PVA (drawing values from normal distribution)
- Conducting a PVA (drawing values from a lognormal distribution)
Bonus Video
How “drawing from a distribution” works
- Normal distribution
- Lognormal distribution
- Binomial distribution
Download this spreadsheet for use as you review the Chapter 13 videos (parts 1 and 2), and check your with this completed spreadsheet. For the Bonus Video, follow along with the aid of this spreadsheet.
2. Examine the Questions
Each Practice Exercise features a series of questions, which guide students through key questions and concepts.
Some questions may ask you to utilize different parts of the spreadsheet you used in the videos. They also provide a space to upload completed spreadsheets and to record any other responses or information requested.