Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.
How has the estimated population of coyotes in Illinois (or your state) changed over time? How do wildlife biologists estimate wildlife populations? What factors influence the population numbers? Does regulated hunting or trapping affect the overall population of coyotes in Illinois? Why or why not?
What reasons might people have to hunt or trap coyotes? Who can hunt or trap coyotes? What regulations govern coyote hunting and trapping and who enforces the regulations? What benefits are there to humans or to wildlife for regulated hunting or trapping programs? Has the coyote population been affected by hunting or trapping? What Illinois rules and regulations today keep the population stable? What laws ensure the humaneness of trapping?
What potential dangers to the coyotes are present in each territory? Do coyotes have predators? What keeps their population under control? What role does the Illinois Department of Natural Resources play in population management? What specific hunting and trapping rules protect coyotes from over-harvest?
Within each territory on the Visualization Tool, where would coyote-vehicle collisons occur? How have urban coyotes adapted to navigating along and across streets? What design solutions could reduce coyote-vehicle collisons?
What defines a "nuisance" or "problem" coyote? What options do wildlife biologists utilize to deal with "problem" coyotes? What are the outcomes of lethal removal or relocation? How would you design a program to prove this outcome?
Examine the territories of the coyotes in the Visualization Tool. Do you think there are physical boundaries that define their territory? Do you think there are social boundaries (interactions with other coyotes or humans) that define the territories? Why might a coyote use a smaller or larger territory than a coyote in a different area? How do coyotes identify their territories or recognize territories of other coyotes? Do coyotes defend their territory?
Do coyotes feed on other animals or insects that homeowners consider to be favorable or unfavorable in their neighborhood? If coyotes establish a new territory, how might they impact the population of prey species? What role do you think regulated hunting and trapping of coyotes could play in maintaining prey populations? How do you think wildlife biologists confirm what coyotes are consuming?
How have coyotes been viewed through history? How have attitudes towards them changed, or stayed the same?
What characteristics and behaviors of coyotes that you observe on the Visualization Tool, or discover in other research, might influence these attitudes?
How have coyotes adapted to co-exist despite human presence and human pressures?
Interview family members or friends to obtain their opinions about coyotes. What influenced their opinions? Have they ever seen or heard a coyote?