Chapter 4 Habitats
4.2.13.6.3 Research Research topics that facilitate appropriate conservation actions include habitat use and preferences, reproductive behavior, fecundity, population dynamics and genetics, feeding, competition, and food web dynamics. Research must also be conducted to determine vulnerability of priority species to specific threats and studies should provide recommendations for mitigation and restoration. Aquatic species propagation is an area of current and ongoing research. Developing techniques for the propagation of aquatic species is critical for preserving those species and their genetic stock, particularly those that are rare, at high risk of extinction or extirpation, and difficult to propagate in a laboratory setting. Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Track and identify problems associated with avian vacuolar myelinopathy that cause mortality in American Coots, other waterfowl and Bald Eagles (Augspurger et al. 2003). American Coot Waterfowl Bald Eagle • Assess the impacts of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission-mandated changes in water releases at hydroelectric dams on priority species. • Study the impacts of commercial collecting of turtles on population dynamics, and the impact that the 2004 turtle law may have on the trade. Turtles • Investigate the potential to use reservoirs as source populations for priority mussels (e.g., Lake Gaston). 4.2.13.6.4 Management Management practices that reduce impacts and work synergistically with other conservation actions are needed to enhance the resilience of natural resources. Particular needs include preserving biodiversity, protecting native populations and their habitats, and improving degraded habitats. Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Maintain natural shoreline vegetation and the structure of adjacent terrestrial habitats if possible (many wetland-related amphibian and reptile species rely on both aquatic and drier upland sites for their life history and seasonal migrations).
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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