Wildlife Management Class Studies Pond Population
Principia College’s Biology Department considers the 2,600-acre campus a living laboratory, seizing every opportunity for hands-on learning in the forests, grasslands, wetlands, streams, and rivers. During recent weeks, students in Dr. Scott Eckert’s Wildlife Management class moved to a pond on the northern section of campus to estimate the total population of bluegill fish living there. The project enables students to practice the work of professional field biologists as they collect and analyze data.
Using a method called “mark and recapture,” students first capture the fish by seining the pond using a 75-foot net. They then mark fish using uniquely numbered streamer tags and release them back into the pond. Two days later, they recapture these fish—and others that are unmarked—tagging all the untagged fish and recording the tag numbers from the marked fish. After repeating these capture sessions several more times, they use specialized software that runs advanced statistical analysis to estimate the total abundance of fish in the pond.
“Understanding the ‘mark and recapture’ method is a fundamental and important skill for biologists in estimating the size of wild-animal populations,” Eckert explains. “This is significant because our graduates often take entry-level positions in natural resource agencies, education organizations, and environmental research institutions. Others continue studying at top graduate schools in the U.S. Learning these skills as undergraduates gives them a leg up as they start their careers or compete to get into graduate programs.”
Senior Chase Schneider has found the hands-on aspect of the project to be a valuable learning opportunity. “Hands-on classes like this one are what drew me to Principia’s Biology Department when I first came here as a student,” he says. Junior Taylor Bookout agrees: “I really enjoy figuring out solutions to any problem during field work. All the fun science aside, my favorite part is being around the pond to see all the cool plants and animals while learning important concepts.”