7989

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7989
• Author: Crowl, T. A. and N. W. Bouwes.
• Title: Modeling Population Dynamics of Colorado Squawfish, Razorback Sucker, and Humpback Chub
• USFW Year: 1997.
• USFW - Doc Type: for Management Objective Development.
• Copyright Material: NO

INTRODUCTION
Mathematical models can be useful tools for the conservation of endangered or
threatened species (Wootton and Bell 1992). Models fulfill three important functions for
these kinds of activities including : 1) clarifying the critical data required to monitor the
health of a population; 2) determining the current status of data collection and analysis
and of the population dynamics themselves; 3) aid in projecting the outcome of current
management strategies; and 4) providing insight into the most effective management
strategies given alternatives (Mertz 1971, Crouse et al. 1987, Lande 1988, Doak 1989,
Getz and Haight 1989, Menges 1990, Wootton and Bell 1992).
Historically, population models took relatively simplistic forms such as Lefkovitch or
Leslie Matrix models (sensu Ryle and Valdez 1994) in which transition probabilities
from one life stage to the next were used to determine how populations were
responding through time and how changes in the transition values might effect those
dynamics. It is now becoming increasing apparent that the spatial structure of
populations often has important effects on population dynamics (Holt 1985, Kareiva
1986, 1987, Pulliam 1988). Incorporating population substructure into models and
population monitoring schemes may be critical to predict future population dynamics
accurately which may allow either different management strategies altogether (Lande
1988, Pulliam 1988, Doak 1989) or at least a quantitative method for prioritizing where
efforts are to take place for population enhancement.