|
Coordinator: Sue Jones
Semester 1 (2009); Tuesday 11am-1pm & 2pm-6pm
What's the point of conserving habitat for a species if you don't have a breeding population to colonise it? Why is reproductive success often compromised in animals brought into captivity? How can modern reproductive technologies assist in maximising breeding success in endangered animals?
Conservation biologists are increasingly turning to comparative physiologists for knowledge to inform conservation management. Understanding a species' reproductive biology and its ability to respond to stress is as important to conservation as understanding its ecology: if a species is to survive, it must be able to reproduce successfully!
In this unit you will study the reproductive and adrenal physiology and endocrinology of reptiles, birds, and mammals. We will take a comparative approach to unravelling the how's and why's of reproduction and responses to stress in these major groups. We also aim to show you how such fundamental knowledge can be applied to conservation.
Topics discussed may include: pouch-swapping of endangered marsupials; contraceptive control of pest species; implications of endocrine disrupting environmental chemicals; why stressed animals won't breed; ethical issues in conservation. The practicals will introduce you to some of the basic techniques that would help you to investigate a species' reproductive biology. We can't have the really sexy species in the lab., but you will visit a local wildlife park as we consider the value of captive breeding to conservation programs.
Special note: this unit will involve experimentation on live vertebrates.
|
