Professor John R. Abernathy, Dean

Department of Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management

Professor Phillip Zwank, Chairperson.

Professors Britton, Fish, Parker, Smith, and Sosebee; Associate Professors Patino and Wester; Assistant Professors Dabbert, Mitchell, Villalobos, Wallace, and Wilde; Adjunct Faculty: Ansley, Drawe, Harvey, Haukos, Pence, Price, Rhodes, Rollins, Taylor, and Teague.

This department offers study in the following graduate degree programs: RANGE SCIENCE, WILDLIFE SCIENCE, and FISHERIES SCIENCE, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy.

Those interested in pursuing a master's or doctor's degree in the Department of Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management should consult with the chairperson prior to enrolling for any course.

Doctoral candidates may specialize in grazing management, range improvement, range animal nutrition, fire ecology, plant ecology, plant physiology, wildlife habitat management, big game ecology, waterfowl ecology, upland game ecology, fisheries, aquaculture or wetland ecology and management.

The M.S. degree requires a minimum of 24 hours of graduate course work plus 6 hours of thesis. Before being recommended for candidacy to a master's degree program, the student may be requested to take a preliminary examination to determine proficiency and background for graduate work. The student may be required to take (without graduate credit) such undergraduate leveling courses as may be designated by the graduate advisory committee. All M.S. degree candidates are required to take experimental design.

An oral and/or written preliminary examination is required of all students seeking a Ph.D. degree. If the preliminary examination reveals weaknesses in the student's background, remedial courses may be designated by the graduate advisory committee. The student's graduate advisory committee will also recommend courses to be taken in supporting disciplines. A Qualifying Examination for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree will also be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Graduate School. This Qualifying Examination is prepared and administered by the candidate's graduate advisory committee and any other professors the committee may consider necessary.

The doctorate normally requires completion of 60 to 80, or more, semester credit hours of graduate course work beyond the bachelor's degree, exclusive of credit for the dissertation. In addition to the courses required for the major, an applicant for the doctorate must have taken at least 15 semester hours of graduate course work outside the department. These hours may be taken in several supporting fields without concern for a minor specialization, depending on recommendation of the student's graduate advisory committee. However, if they are taken in a block of related courses, they may be declared as a minor.

There is no foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree, but such a requirement may be incorporated into individual programs at the discretion of the student's graduate advisory committee. All doctoral candidates must successfully complete or have completed two semesters of calculus, one semester of experimental design, one semester of teaching practicum (RWFM 7210), and College Teaching in Agriculture (AGED 5310).

Courses in Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries
Management. (RWFM)

5100. Seminar (1:1:0). Prerequisite: Departmental approval. An organized discussion of current problems in range, wildlife, and fisheries management. May be repeated.

5302. Range Research Methods (3:2:3). Prerequisite: ISQS 5346 or consent of instructor. Study plan preparation; methods of studying vegetation; sampling techniques; increasing sampling efficiency; methods of reducing experimental error; grazing studies; utilization studies; wildlife techniques; and tests of goodness of fit for binomial, poison, negative binomials, and normal distributions. F, odd years.

5303. Synecology (3:3:0). Prerequisite: RWFM 3302 or consent of instructor. An advanced study of terrestrial plant community ecology; mechanisms and consequences of species coexistence; diversity relations; causes and patterns of community development; community dynamics. Statistical and numerical analyses applicable to community ecology are discussed. F, odd years.

5304. Fire Behavior and Ecology (3:2:3). Prerequisite: RWFM 3202, 3301, and 3302 or consent of instructor. An assessment of the role of fire in succession and management of plants and animals in all major vegetation types of U.S. and Canada; effect of fire on litter and soil properties; fire temperatures and heat effects; prescribed burning techniques. Field trips required. S, odd years.

5305. Plant Ecophysiology (3:3:0). Prerequisite: RWFM 3302 or consent of instructor. Advanced study of the influences of the environmental complex on the processes, structure, and physiological functioning of an individual plant or species. S, even years.

5306. The Physiological Basis for Grazing Management (3:2:3). A study of the physiological processes, morphological development, nutritional qualities, and palatability of range plants as a basis for grazing management strategies for domestic and wild animals. Field trips required. F, even years.

5309. Population Estimation and Dynamics (3:3:0). Prerequisite: AAEC 3401, MATH 1331. Principles of estimation theory. Detailed examination of modern analysis techniques; indices, line transect, capture-recapture, Jolly-Seber, survival, and life table limitations. Computer use. S, even years.

5310. Advanced Range Ecology (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. An examination of the basic ecological principles affecting plant growth and development, distribution of plants, community structure and dynamics, and nutrient cycling. Field trips required. F.

5311. Wildlife Conservation and Management (3:3:0). An examination of conservation principles and management practices enhancing wildlife populations. Not open to biological science majors.

5312. Ecology of Renewable Natural Resources (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. An introduction to the ecology of renewable natural resources such as vegetation, wildlife, soil, and water. Not open to biological science majors.

5313. Advanced Big Game Ecology and Management (3:3:0). Prerequisite: RWFM 4305 or equivalent or consent of instructor. An advanced study of the ecology and management of big game resources. Field trips required. F, odd years.

5314. Advanced Upland Game Ecology and Management (3:2:3). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. An advanced study of the ecology and management of upland game resources. Field trips are required. S, odd years.

5315. Advanced Studies in Range-Wildlife Habitat (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. An ecological approach to wildlife management stressing the relationships between animals and their habitat. Focuses on rangeland habitats. Field trips required. F.

5316. Waterfowl Ecology (3:2:3). Prerequisite: RWFM 4310 or consent of instructor. An ecological examination of waterfowl behavior, breeding biology, and habitat requirements. Field trips required. F, even years.

5317. Watershed Management (3:3:0). Management concepts of watersheds as a holistic unit. Inventory techniques, information sources, analysis procedures, and economic and financial effects applicable to watershed management planning.

5318. Range Animal Nutrition (3:3:0). Prerequisite: ANSC 3301 or equivalent. Study of the nutritional relationship between the range resource and grazing herbivores, including domestic livestock and wild ungulates, and techniques for range animal nutrition research. S, odd years.

5320. Natural Resource Biopolitics (3:3:0). Policy, planning, and conflict resolution from a natural resource management perspective. Historical, agency, and private organization roles in natural resource management are evaluated.

5323. Prescribed Burning (3:2:3). Planning, implementing, evaluating prescribed fires, and expert systems. Field trips required. S, even years.

5324. Physiological Ecology of Aquatic Organisms (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Regulatory mechanisms and adaptive significance of selected physiological processes in aquatic vertebrates. S, odd years.

5325. Predator and Prey Ecology (3:2:3). Prerequisite: RWFM 4408 or equivalent and consent of instructor. Principles of predator-prey dynamics; function morphology, optimal foraging, influence of behavior, ecology, and habitat on predators and their prey; applications of predator-prey theory to predator management. S, even years.

5330. Advanced Aquaculture (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. A global overview of aquaculture including fish, aquatic invertebrates, plants, and design and operation of production facilities. F, odd years.

5335. Advanced Fisheries Science (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Scientific study of the use of aquatic organisms. Includes resources, sampling, ecology and analysis of populations, resource conflicts, and management. May not be taken for credit by students who have taken RWFM 4335. S, odd years.

5336. Limnological Sampling Methods (3:3:0). Procedures and use of equipment in the field for sampling the biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of aquatic systems. Field projects.

5337. Fish and Wildlife Population Modelling (3:3:0). The development and use of models to analyze and simulate ecological processes in fish and wildlife populations and communities. S, odd years.

5338. Laboratory Techniques in Fisheries Science (3:3:0). Review of techniques in fish physiology and behavior, histology, blood chemistry, gas utilization and environmental biology, and of laboratory equipment.

5401. Advanced Fisheries Management (4:3:3). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Theory and methodology used in managing aquatic renewable resources; applied field problems, equipment use. May not be taken for credit by students who have taken RWFM 4401. F, even years.

5402. Fisheries Ecology (4:3:3). Prerequisite: Statistics and basic fisheries. An examination of population dynamics, community ecology, bioenergetics, fisheries models and other quantitative aspects of fisheries ecology. S, even years.

5403. Experimental Design and Analysis (4:3:2). Prerequisite: ISQS 5346 or equivalent. Principles and applications of experimental design and analysis (completely randomized designs, randomized blocks, covariance analysis, factorials, split plots, repeated measures, regression). F, even years, and S.

5404. Aerial Terrain Analysis (4:2:4). Exploration of methods, the utilization of techniques, and evaluation of landscape using aerial photographs. An introduction to the theories, technical and practical aspects, and considerations of computer based geographic information systems in landscape planning, design, and management.

6000. Master's Thesis (V1-6).

6001. Selected Topics in Range Science (V1-6). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Advanced topics selected by departmental recommendation. May be repeated for credit in different subject areas.

6002. Selected Topics in Wildlife Science (V1-6). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Advanced topics selected by departmental recommendation. May be repeated for credit in different subject areas.

6003. Selected Topics in Fisheries Science (V1-6). Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Advanced topics selected by departmental recommendation. May be repeated for credit in different subject areas.

6301. Research Methods (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Approval of department. A review of the philosophy of science, scientific methods, research activities, and the planning and execution of research programs. F, even years.

6303. Imagery Interpretation for Natural Resource Management (3:2:2). Prerequisite: RWFM 4403. An advanced course in the applications of imagery producing systems for use in the inventory, analysis, planning, and management of natural resources. Involves the use of satellite imagery, infrared and radar scanning systems, as well as advanced work in interpreting standard aerial photography. S.

6305. Geospatial Technologies in Natural Resource Management (3:2:2). Principles of geographic information systems and global positioning systems. Applications for natural resource inventory, planning, and management are emphasized.

7000. Research (V1-12).

7210. Teaching Practicum (2:0:4). Prerequisite: Doctoral student in range, wildlife, or fisheries science program and AGED 5310. Supervised teaching experience at the university level.

8000. Doctor's Dissertation (V1-12).