We developed the first edition of this book because we perceived a need
for a compilation on study design with application to studies of the
ecology, conser- tion, and management of wildlife. We felt that the need
for coverage of study design in one source was strong, and although a
few books and monographs existed on some of the topics that we covered,
no single work attempted to synthesize the many facets of wildlife study
design. We decided to develop this second edition because our original
goal - synthesis of study design - remains strong, and because we each
gathered a substantial body of new material with which we could update
and expand each chapter. Several of us also used the first edition as
the basis for workshops and graduate teaching, which provided us with
many valuable suggestions from readers on how to improve the text. In
particular, Morrison received a detailed review from the graduate s-
dents in his "Wildlife Study Design" course at Texas A&M University. We
also paid heed to the reviews of the first edition that appeared in the
literature.