Assessment of reproductive requirements in habitat conservation efforts: a case study on blackside dace (Chrosomus cumberlandensis), a federally listed threatened species

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avery E. Scherer ◽  
Nicholas Santangelo
Keyword(s):  
Threatened Species ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Physical Habitat ◽  
Nest Location ◽  
Nest Activity ◽  
Blackside Dace ◽  
Chrosomus Cumberlandensis

Species conservation efforts often fail to consider specific-species reproductive requirements. This omission is understandable given that collection of such data must focus on individual taxa and is potentially disruptive. However, spawning requirements remain a vital component in long-term conservation efforts. Using blackside dace (Chrosomus cumberlandensis), a federally listed threatened species, we demonstrate how reproductive habitat can be unobtrusively quantified to improve restoration efforts. Reproductive habitat characteristics are unquantified for blackside dace. However, these fish spawn in certain areas, suggesting they have specific reproductive microhabitat requirements. The physical habitat of nests and surrounding areas was characterized by assessing depth, stream flow, and physical structure, which were correlated with nest activity. Flow and depth were the most influential factors in determining nest location and nest activity, respectively, and nest activity was positively correlated with substrate size. These data are a critical component for ongoing habitat restoration and captive breeding efforts for this species, providing the foundation for recreating essential reproductive habitat. Our study emphasizes the importance of understanding a species’ reproductive habitat requirements and ecology to aid habitat restoration efforts for threatened species.

scholarly journals Polymorphic DNA microsatellite markers for forensic individual identification and parentage analyses of seven threatened species of parrots (family Psittacidae)

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Jan ◽  
Luca Fumagalli
Keyword(s):  
Microsatellite Markers ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Genomic Library ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Individual Identification ◽  
Illegal Trade ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Dna Microsatellite ◽  
Dna Microsatellite Markers

The parrot family represents one of the bird group with the largest number of endangered species, as a result of habitat destruction and illegal trade. This illicit traffic involves the smuggling of eggs and animals, and the laundering through captive breeding facilities of wild-caught animals. Despite the huge potential of wildlife DNA forensics to determine with conclusive evidence illegal trade, current usage of DNA profiling approaches in parrots has been limited by the lack of suitable molecular markers specifically developed for the focal species and by low cross-species polymorphism. In this study, we isolated DNA microsatellite markers in seven parrot species threatened with extinction (Amazona brasiliensis,A. oratrix,A. pretrei,A. rhodocorytha,Anodorhynchus leari,Ara rubrogenysandPrimolius couloni). From an enriched genomic library followed by 454 pyrosequencing, we characterized a total of 106 polymorphic microsatellite markers (mostly tetranucleotides) in the seven species and tested them across an average number of 19 individuals per species. The mean number of alleles per species and across loci varied from 6.4 to 8.3, with the mean observed heterozygosities ranging from 0.65 to 0.84. Identity and parentage exclusion probabilities were highly discriminatory. The high variability displayed by these microsatellite loci demonstrates their potential utility to perform individual genotyping and parentage analyses, in order to develop a DNA testing framework to determine illegal traffic in these threatened species.

scholarly journals The mangrove flora and their physical habitat characteristics in Bunaken National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 1303-1312
Author(s):  
RIGNOLDA DJAMALUDDIN
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Physical Habitat ◽  
Mangrove Forests ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Mangrove Species ◽  
Distribution Limit ◽  
North Sulawesi ◽  
Special Notice ◽  
Lumnitzera Racemosa

Djamaluddin R. 2018. The mangrove flora and their physical habitat characteristics in Bunaken National Park, NorthSulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 1303-1312. The mangrove forests of Bunaken National Park are among the most distinctive andunusual in Southeast Asia because of the species that the forests contain. This study investigated the identity and diversity of mangroveplants as well as physiographic factors and major physical processes of every type of sub-habitats. Seven surveys were conducted tocollect and identify mangrove species of the park. Sub-habitats where specimen was found, aspects related to tidal inundation, nature ofsoil, freshwater influence and topography were observed as well as major physical processes influencing the condition of each subhabitat.The results suggested that the park was floristically rich with at least 27 plant species and they were distributed over tenrecognized sub-habitat types in different composition and diversity. Ceriops zippeliana Blume, Lumnitzera racemosa Willd, Lumnitzeralittorea (Jack) Voigt., Sonneratia ovata Backer, and Camptostemon philippinense (Vidal) Becc. were found in Bunaken National Parkand their presence confirmed the broader distribution limit of these species within Indo-Malesia region. A special notice was for C.philippinense as the distribution limit of this is rarely reported.

scholarly journals Habitat affinity and density-dependent movement as indicators of fish habitat restoration efficacy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos M. Polivka
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Ecology ◽  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Density Data ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Effectiveness Studies ◽  
Habitat Affinity

AbstractConceptual and methodological tools from behavioral ecology can inform studies of habitat quality and their potential for evaluating habitat restoration in conservation efforts is explored here. Such approaches provide mechanistic detail in understanding the relationship between organisms and their habitats and are thus more informative than correlations between density and habitat characteristics. Several Pacific salmon species have been the target of habitat restoration efforts for the past 2-3 decades, but most post-restoration effectiveness studies have been limited to correlative data described above. In mark-recapture assays from four different study years, the affinity of sub-yearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) and steelhead (O. mykiss) for stream pools restored with or created by engineered log structures was greater than that for pools without restoration, though with high interannual variability. From corresponding distribution and density data, it was clear that habitat affinity data are not always concordant with single observations of density. The same was true of the correlation between either affinity or density and physical characteristics of pools, although depth and current velocity had some explanatory power for both responses in Chinook. Movement into pools by Chinook during the assays indicated that restored pools can support more immigrants at a given density than can unrestored pools; however no such pattern emerged for steelhead. Variation among individuals in body condition has implications for population-wide fitness, and such low variation was correlated with stronger affinity for pools in Chinook regardless of restoration status. This suggests that pools may mediate habitat-related trade-offs and that restoring them might have a positive effect on fitness. Thus affinity, immigration, and condition data give much-needed mechanistic indication of habitat selection for restored habitat via an apparent capacity increase and those potential fitness benefits. This is stronger support for restoration effectiveness than density differences alone because density data 1) may simply indicate redistribution of fish from poor to good habitats and 2) are not adequate to show correlations between restoration and positive change in traits correlated with fitness.

3. Sunlight and motion

2018 ◽  
pp. 26-47
Author(s):  
Warwick F. Vincent
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
The State ◽  
Slow Waves ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Water Transparency ◽  
Lake Ecosystem ◽  
Physical Habitat ◽  
State Of Health ◽  
Temperature Water

Water transparency powerfully indicates the state of health of a lake ecosystem. The water’s turbidity defines the physical habitat characteristics of lakes, strongly influencing their chemistry, biology, and ecosystem services. ‘Sunlight and motion’ explains the methods for measuring water transparency and how the penetration of sunlight into water declines with depth. The different colours, hues, and brightness levels of lakes are due to the materials dissolved and suspended within them. The layering of different temperature water in lakes is also described. This stratification varies greatly with the seasons. Mixing of the waters is mainly due to slow waves at and just below the surface as well as deeper currents.

More than just the animals: opportunities and costs of reintroducing threatened black-footed rock-wallabies to remote Indigenous land

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Ireland ◽  
Magdalena Zabek ◽  
Carolina Galindez-Silva ◽  
Sara Weir ◽  
Rebecca West ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Threatened Species ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Fire Management ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Project Cost ◽  
One Year ◽  
Cross Fostering ◽  
North Western ◽  
Indigenous Land

Conservation activities, including translocations of threatened species, are increasingly important priorities for conserving biodiversity and culture on Indigenous-managed lands, which occupy over 20% of the Australian landmass. In the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands of north-western South Australia, the Warru Recovery Team reintroduced the threatened black-footed rock-wallaby (warru) to Wamitjara in May 2018. We outline the unique planning and logistical issues inherent in securing support and involvement of Traditional Owners and Indigenous rangers for predator, weed and fire management, cross-fostering, captive breeding, monitoring and translocation of the rock-wallabies. Altogether, the project cost AU$3.86 million (actual – AU$1.86 million, in kind – AU$2.00 million) over 10 years of preparation and one year of post-translocation monitoring. This consisted of AU$1.18 million for cross-fostering and captive breeding at Monarto Zoo and a further AU$0.55 million for the construction and maintenance of a fenced exclosure in the APY Lands. It is estimated that AU$0.51 million of the total costs were directly attributed to working remote and Indigenous-owned land, with most of the remaining costs typical of other reintroduction programs. Large-scale reintroduction opportunities on Indigenous-managed land can provide considerable conservation outcomes as well as delivering cultural objectives and supporting employment.

From continua to patches: examining stream community structure over large environmental gradients

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (8) ◽  
pp. 1404-1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristopher K Wright ◽  
Judith L Li
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Algal Biomass ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Physical Habitat ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
Order Stream ◽  
Longitudinal Gradients ◽  
Individual Variables

We present an approach that integrates a conceptual framework with multivariate ordination techniques and traditional parametric analyses to examine biotic and abiotic gradients in stream ecosystems. Ordinations were used to examine multivariate patterns along an environmental gradient, with individual variables used to interpret those patterns across spatial scales. The conceptual framework provides a consistent context to compare community distributions and consequently allows for hypothesis testing using ordinations. To illustrate the approach, we examined the physical template, fish and benthic macroinvertebrate communities, and algal biomass and production along a 1st- through 5th-order stream gradient in eastern Oregon. We hypothesized that longitudinal distributions of physical habitat characteristics, fishes, macroinvertebrates, and periphyton would reflect highly variable, discontinuous gradients. Multivariate patterns were determined by rotating nonparametric ordinations to a common set of variables and comparing them to conceptual models of (i) an ideal continuum, (ii) a random distribution, and (iii) discrete patches. Physical habitat and fishes reflected strong longitudinal gradients, macroinvertebrates were the most patchy, and algal biomass and production were highly variable. Distributions of individual variables from site and stream-order perspectives revealed how different factors, potentially influencing stream communities, may be continuous or patchy depending on spatial scale.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document