Mule Deer:

This image shows a male mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), which is native to western North America. Named for their large ears, mule deer are hunted for sport and food under strict management practices, such as designated hunting seasons and limits on how many deer a hunter can take.

Imagine a scenario where the local mule deep population has declined after a harsh winter. Wildlife management agencies have proposed establishing a zoned reserve in the middle of one huntable parcel of land to help the mule deer population recover. Even though other huntable parcels of land would not be affected, local hunters oppose the reserve. They express concerns that the zoned reserve will limit where they can hunt and the mule deer will congregate in the reserve.

Use the passage to answer the question.

A. In a short paragraph, propose a hypothesis to test the effect of a zoned reserve on mule deer populations. Justify your hypothesis based on your knowledge of zoned reserves.

B. In 1-2 short paragraphs, outline a field experiment to test your hypothesis on the effect of a zoned reserve on mule deer populations. Describe your control group, experimental group, and the data you would collect. Identify at least two environmental factors that could affect your data collection and how you would address them, if possible.

Please answer correctly and make it sound like human wrote it.

1 answer

A. Hypothesis: I hypothesize that establishing a zoned reserve in the middle of a huntable parcel of land will lead to an increase in the mule deer population within the reserve area. This is based on the knowledge that zoned reserves provide a protected area for wildlife to recover and thrive without interference from hunting activities.

B. Field Experiment: To test the effect of a zoned reserve on mule deer populations, I would set up a field experiment where one parcel of land would be designated as the control group, where hunting is allowed as usual, and another parcel would be designated as the experimental group, with a zoned reserve established. I would collect data on the mule deer population size, distribution, and health in both groups over a set period of time.

Two environmental factors that could affect the data collection are weather conditions and natural predators. To address this, I would take weather conditions into consideration when analyzing the data and ensure that predator populations are monitored in both groups to determine any influence on the mule deer populations. Additionally, I would make sure to account for any migration patterns of the mule deer that could affect the results of the study.