lab

Panther Lab

Use these questions to prepare for your lab reports

1. As populations rise in a limited habitat range, population density increases. As density

increases, what patterns might we expect to see in terms of mortality due to intraspecific

aggression?

2. What other density dependent and density independent factors may also impact the

panther population?

3. How about competition for other resources?

4. The roadway bisecting this habitat is a hotspot for collisions. What measures could be

implemented to reduce human related panther mortality?

5. How much habitat is available to panthers dispersing northward? What strategies could

wildlife organizations take to manage these increasing populations?

6. What are the limiting factors facing further expansion of the panther populations?

7. Panthers historically occupied the highest trophic level in the food web of the

southeastern United States. In their absence, non-native predators have moved into the

open niche, like the coyote. Do you believe coyotes occupying habitats northward of the

panther’s current range would be a significant source of interspecific competition for

dispersing panthers?

8. How does this laboratory exercise fit within the context of our environmental science and

sustainability course?