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SurveyMethods StudentWS CL

This document provides information about survey methods used to monitor elephant populations in Africa. It discusses why elephants are considered a keystone species due to their ecosystem impacts like dispersing seeds and creating watering holes. Their populations have declined in recent decades due to poaching and habitat loss. The document describes different survey methods like aerial surveys, acoustic monitoring, and dung transects, noting their advantages and disadvantages. It analyzes population change data showing a over 50% decline from 1979 to 2007, with hotspots of decline in Central and West Africa but stability or increase in Southern Africa.

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Dylan Yang
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79 views3 pages

SurveyMethods StudentWS CL

This document provides information about survey methods used to monitor elephant populations in Africa. It discusses why elephants are considered a keystone species due to their ecosystem impacts like dispersing seeds and creating watering holes. Their populations have declined in recent decades due to poaching and habitat loss. The document describes different survey methods like aerial surveys, acoustic monitoring, and dung transects, noting their advantages and disadvantages. It analyzes population change data showing a over 50% decline from 1979 to 2007, with hotspots of decline in Central and West Africa but stability or increase in Southern Africa.

Uploaded by

Dylan Yang
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Survey Methods Click & Learn

Student Worksheet

INTRODUCTION
The story of African elephants is a powerful example of how science can inform conservation. Knowing how
many elephants are left and where they live can help us plan strategies to protect them. In the Survey Methods
Click & Learn, you’ll learn more about elephants and the methods used to monitor their populations. These
methods can also be used to study many other large animals.

PART 1: Why Study Elephants?


Open the Survey Methods Click & Learn and read the “Why Study Elephants” section under the “Where Are
They?” tab.

1. Elephants are considered to be a keystone species. What does that mean?

2. Name three elephant activities or functions that justify why elephants are a keystone species. Describe how
each activity or function changes African ecosystems.
Elephant activity or function Change in ecosystem

3. Why have elephant populations been declining for the past several decades?

PART 2: Survey Methods


Biologists weigh the advantages and disadvantages of different survey methods before choosing the appropriate
approach. Read through each of the survey methods under the “Where Are They?” and “How Many?” tabs, and
use the table on the following page to organize your thoughts.

www.BioInteractive.org Updated November 2020


Page 1 of 3
Click & Learn
Survey Methods Student Worksheet

Survey Information Methods used Type of count Advantages Disadvantages


type gathered (total/sample,
direct/indirect)

Species
N/A
range

Individual
N/A
range

Aerial
survey

Individual
registration

Acoustic
survey

Dung
transect

www.BioInteractive.org Updated November 2020


Page 2 of 3
Click & Learn
Survey Methods Student Worksheet

PART 3: Population Changes in Elephants


Read through the “Population Change” tab, watch the video, and explore the map.
4. Turn on the 1979 and 2007 range layers on the map. Describe the change in the range. Where did the
elephant range decrease, increase, or stay about the same?

5. In 1979, the estimated elephant population was 1.3 million elephants. In 2007, it was 640,000 elephants.
a. By approximately what percentage did the elephant population decline over this time period? (Show
your work.)

b. How does this percentage compare to the change in range over this same time period?

6. Turn off the 1979 and 2007 range layers, then turn on the 2016 trends layer.
a. Based on the area surveyed, where are the major hotspots of elephant decline?

b. Where are elephant populations stable or increasing?

www.BioInteractive.org Updated November 2020


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