EXST 2201 Lecture : Class 3 Notes Elements Of Wildlife Habitat
Document Summary
Stand structure and composition defines wildlife habitat elements. Silvicultural methods are used to modify wildlife habitat elements. Wildlife habitat elements provide + energy balance for inputs and outputs. Animals need to consume as much energy as they expend to survive. Calories in calories out must be greater than 0. Components of stand structure may affect wildlife"s ability to find and consume energy and to minimize the expenditure of energy. While it is easy to think about how an individual animal may cope with a particular habitat, we must consider how these habitat elements relate to populations and mixtures of populations to have long-term success. Inputs consists of digestible plant material and prey. Light distribution determines forage quality (type and spatial density), which determines digestible plant material. Light distribution determines the density of available energy and is managed by gap size (another function of stand structure) and the stages of stand development.
