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Within
the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University
you will find faculty with a diversity of interests, linked to the
management of fisheries and wildlife. These interests have been grouped
into focus areas which are listed below. These focus areas serve
as a guide to help you determine where your particular area of interest
lies in relation to the Department. However, they are not intended
to be a complete list of the diverse interests and expertise in the
Department.
Wildlife
Ecology and Management
General Description:
emphasis on biological considerations in the management of upland
and wetland ecosystems or wildlife species to meet a variety of human
demands from biodiversity and endangered species management to management
of game species
Sample Coursework:
wildlife biology
and management
wildlife nutrition
population and
community ecology
population analysis
and quantitative methods
Examples of
Research Areas:
wildlife - habitat
interactions
population dynamics
and modeling
environmental
or biological issues that affect wildlife in upland or wetland
ecosystems
wildlife biometry
and population estimation and sampling
Limnology
(includes
Stream Ecology and Wetland Ecology and Management)
General Description: biological,
chemical and ecological features of freshwater ecosystems, including
lakes, reservoirs, streams, rivers, and wetlands; basic and applied
freshwater ecology, emphasizing the intimate connection between limnology
and resource management
Sample Coursework:
limnology and
stream ecology
aquatic entomology
plankton biology
wetland plants
and algae
fisheries ecology
and food-web management
geographic information
systems and remote sensing
Examples
of Research Areas:
food-web interactions
landscape ecology
of aquatic ecosystems
exotic species
ecology and management
water quality,
biomonitoring
non-point source
land-use modeling
Fisheries
Science and Management
General Description: emphasis
on factors influencing the productivity and dynamics of fish populations,
fish communities, and fisheries to enhance management of these resources;
quantitative fisheries science, particularly stock assessment; habitat,
population and community modeling; and risk assessment and adaptive
management
Sample Coursework:
fish population
dynamics
fish habitat
management
aquatic food
web management
simulation modeling
risk assessment
and adaptive management
Examples of
Research Areas:
evaluations of
the effectiveness of various management techniques (e.g., habitat
manipulation, stocking) for protecting, rehabilitating, and enhancing
fish populations and fisheries
investigations
of the relationship between the habitat needs of fish populations
and their productivity
environmental
determinants of fish recruitment
links among food
web interactions, fish recruitment and fish production
development and
utilization of dynamic fish population and community models
Conservation
Biology
General Description:
emphasizes application of ecological and evolutionary theory and
principles of fisheries and wildlife management related to the conservation
of species, habitat, and genetic diversity
Sample Coursework:
conservation
biology and genetics
fisheries/wildlife
management
population analysis
and management
geographic information
systems
population and
community ecology
Examples of
Research Areas:
evaluation of
human impacts on the diversity and viability of wild populations
landscape-level
analysis and modeling of habitat quality and quantity on fisheries
and wildlife populations
identification
of management units and evolutionarily significant units of conservation
concern
evaluation of
the effects of non-native species on populations and ecosystems
Human
Dimensions of Fisheries and Wildlife Management
General Description: The
traditional focus on biology in fisheries and wildlife management
has shifted in the past two decades to include the human dimensions
(social aspects) of management. Along with managing resource issues,
managers must often be experts in human attitudes and behavior, facilitate
conflict resolution among user groups, develop communication or education
tools, determine economic impacts, and interact with policy makers
in legislative or administrative bodies as well as become involved
with litigation.
The Human Dimensions
program is designed to integrate training in social, ecological,
and biological aspects of management. The program can serve to broaden
the expertise of wildlife biologists or to train human dimensions
specialists to apply appropriate social sciences to management problems.
Students without
backgrounds in fisheries and wildlife management will be expected
to gain adequate knowledge of that discipline through course work
and other experiences. The human dimensions program’s intent
is to prepare professionals who can bridge the gaps between the
social and biological sciences.
Sample Coursework:
social science
survey research techniques
qualitative research
methods
environmental
law and policy
outreach/extension
education program design and evaluation
environmental
sociology
environmental
attitudes and movements
Examples of
Research Areas:
outcomes of fisheries
co-management policy in developing countries
angling/hunting
recruitment/retention
effectiveness
of environmental education and outreach
analysis of public
perceptions associated with emerging fisheries or wildlife issues
investigations
of the dynamics of wildlife recreational choice behaviors
Aquaculture
General Description: fish
culture research and training programs including domestic and international
projects emphasizing cold, cool, and warm water fishes; academic
programs are tied closely to state, regional, federal, and international
partners including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, North Central
Regional Aquaculture Center, and state and federal hatchery systems
Sample Course
Work:
aquaculture and
limnology
animal science
and food science and nutrition
physiology
economics
toxicology
sociology
Examples of
Research Areas:
nutritional requirements
and culture techniques for cool water fishes
diet development
using locally available feedstuffs
larval rearing
polyploidy induction
techniques
aquaculture water
quality and waste control
Ecological
Genetics and Physiology
General Description: emphasis
on theory and application of modern molecular, biochemical, and electrophysiological
technologies and statistical methods of analysis to examine basic
and applied issues in organismal ecology, behavior, environmental
adaptability, toxicology, and evolutionary history
Sample Coursework:
conservation
genetics and population genetics
population and
community ecology
molecular biology
biochemistry
environmental
physiology
Examples of
Research Areas:
chemoreception
of fishes
physiological
and genetic factors in fish migratory and sexual behavior
field and experimental
approaches in behavioral ecology including defining genealogical
relationships, mate selection, reproductive success, maternity
and paternity
studies of spatial
population genetic structure and systematics
molecular markers
in conservation and management of vertebrate populations
Biometry
and Ecological Modeling
General Description: Emphasis
on development and application of quantitative tools for estimation,
hypothesis testing, and simulation, as applied to fisheries and wildlife
problems. This departmental program is complimented by a strong inter-disciplinary
university-wide quantitative analysis group.
Sample Coursework:
systems modeling
population analysis
statistical theory
and methods
risk assessment
and decision analysis
GIS and remote
sensing
Examples of
Research Areas:
simulation modeling
of wildlife-habitat relationships
fish stock assessment
methods and application
adaptive management
and decision analysis theory and applications
metapopulation
analysis and simulation
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