The great elephant census worksheet answers

graph blanks

1) 6.8 2) 0 3) 1.4 4) 0.34 average: 0.31

Scientists estimate that African elephants are being lost at a rate of ________/day.

100

The total stratum area is 803.7 km2. Using the mean elephant density for the stratum that you calculated, calculate an estimated # of elephants that could be found in this stratum.

3.41

What are the two main threats to African elephant populations?

Habitat loss and poaching are the two main threats

Logistics are the details that must be handled to plan and organize a complicated activity or event that involves many people. Give three examples of logistics that the organizers of the census need to address.

Some examples of the logistics the organizers need to address are the method they will use to count each elephant, the transportation for the researchers (the aircraft), and how they will divide the survey areas.

What are two principal research questions that will be addressed by the Great Elephant Census

The research questions are how elephants remain, and where they live.

Accurate counts are critical because they are used to estimate the total population. List three things that the researchers do to ensure accurate sample counts

The researchers use specific, premeasured areas as their sample, they use cameras to determine what animals are inside the area, and they use laser altimeters to calculate their height above the ground, which the counting strip depends on.

How will the results from the project be used?

The results will be used to dictate where conservation efforts are focused for the elephants.

What might explain the wide range of elephant densities among the different transects of the stratum? Give two reasons, one that relates to elephant behavior and one that relates to the survey design.

The wide range of elephant densities could be due to the resources in each transect, or it could be that the transects were divided into a large variety of sizes.

Dr. Mike Chase's team has chosen to use a sample count method to estimate the total elephant population size. Why did they choose sampling over a total count of each elephant?

They chose sampling because counting each elephant was not practical.

What technology is the team using to determine which elephants are inside and outside the strip? What human limitation makes this necessary?

They use cameras because humans are not good at cutting through groups and determining which members of the group should be counted