Reading a Hidden Species: teacher key

Eurasian Eagle-Owls, grade 12 edition, written for 12th grade and up. The Eurasian eagle-owl is hard to see, so researchers use territory counts, genetic markers, pellets and trackers to read its history. Their work shows how rabbits, people and the owl's own habits shape its recovery.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What is philopatry?
   • The tendency to breed close to birthplaces (answer)
   • A kind of owl pellet
   • A viral disease
2. What did the Bayesian analyses of the genetic markers reveal?
   • One large cluster
   • Three genetic clusters (answer)
   • Ten new species
3. What do the Spanish authors say mattered more for territory occupancy than climate, habitat and human activity?
   • The color of the owl
   • The weather in June
   • Past success and individual experience, probably (answer)
4. What do occupancy models account for?
   • Imperfect detection (answer)
   • Owl weight
   • The age of nests
5. Why might pellets from archaeological sites interest scientists?
   • They show the nest's age
   • They can show small prey found there (answer)
   • They show the owl's color
6. How many eagle-owls did researchers genotype?
   • 253
   • 72
   • 235 (answer)

Words

• philopatry: staying near birthplace
• occupancy: being present
• elusive: hard to find
• cryptic: hard to notice