scholarly journals Conservation of the Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, Chennai, India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Piggott ◽  
Todd R Lewis ◽  
Paul Greig-Smith ◽  
Rowland Griffin
Keyword(s):  
Short Article ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
Conservation Measures ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Gavialis Gangeticus

Gavialis gangeticus are in serious decline in the wild. In this short article we provide an overview of Gharial ecology and current conservation measures taking place at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in India.

scholarly journals Microsatellite analysis reveals low genetic diversity in managed populations of the critically endangered gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) in India

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Surya Prasad Sharma ◽  
Mirza Ghazanfarullah Ghazi ◽  
Suyash Katdare ◽  
Niladri Dasgupta ◽  
Samrat Mondol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Mitochondrial Control Region ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Genetic Status ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Gavialis Gangeticus

AbstractThe gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a critically endangered crocodylian, endemic to the Indian subcontinent. The species has experienced severe population decline during the twentieth century owing to habitat loss, poaching, and mortalities in passive fishing. Its extant populations have largely recovered through translocation programmes initiated in 1975. Understanding the genetic status of these populations is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of the ongoing conservation efforts. This study assessed the genetic diversity, population structure, and evidence of genetic bottlenecks of the two managed populations inhabiting the Chambal and Girwa Rivers, which hold nearly 80% of the global gharial populations. We used seven polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci and a 520 bp partial fragment of the mitochondrial control region (CR). The overall mean allelic richness (Ar) was 2.80 ± 0.40, and the observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosities were 0.40 ± 0.05 and 0.39 ± 0.05, respectively. We observed low levels of genetic differentiation between populations (FST = 0.039, P < 0.05; G’ST = 0.058, P < 0.05 Jost’s D = 0.016, P < 0.05). The bottleneck analysis using the M ratio (Chambal = 0.31 ± 0.06; Girwa = 0.41 ± 0.12) suggested the presence of a genetic bottleneck in both populations. The mitochondrial CR also showed a low level of variation, with two haplotypes observed in the Girwa population. This study highlights the low level of genetic diversity in the two largest managed gharial populations in the wild. Hence, it is recommended to assess the genetic status of extant wild and captive gharial populations for planning future translocation programmes to ensure long-term survival in the wild.

scholarly journals The mandrill in Gabon's rain forest—ecology, distribution and status

Oryx ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. S. Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Rain Forest ◽  
Forest Ecology ◽  
Human Pressure ◽  
Forest Habitat ◽  
Hunting Pressure ◽  
Mandrillus Sphinx ◽  
Conservation Measures ◽  
Equatorial Africa ◽  
In The Wild

Little is known about the mandrill Mandrillus sphinx in the wild. It is an elusive primate and thus difficult to study in its rain-forest habitat in equatorial Africa. As human pressure on its habitat grows it has become increasingly urgent to discover more about the species so that appropriate conservation measures can be planned. The author made a 15-month study of the mandrill in Gabon and discovered that it was not as widely distributed as had been believed. Although it is threatened by hunting pressure and habitat disruption, populations still remain and five reserves protect some of these.

scholarly journals Population, Basking and Hatching Success of Gavialis gangeticus in Narayani River, Chitwan National Park, Nepal

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sunil Lal Rajbhandari ◽  
Paras Mani Acharya
Keyword(s):  
Deep Water ◽  
National Park ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Main Channel ◽  
Habitat Conditions ◽  
Human Disturbances ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Chitwan National Park ◽  
Gavialis Gangeticus

This study was carried out to investigate the habitats and abundance of the Gharials in Narayani river of Chitwan National Park from 2012 to 2013. A total of 38 Gharials including 3 hatchlings, 8 juveniles, 12 sub-adults and 15 adults were recorded during the study period. Only one breeding male was observed reflecting the critical condition for the breeding in the wild within Chitwan National Park. The abundance of the gharial was restricted in 2 areas, namely Khoria muhan and Velaunji due to suitability of the habitat conditions and minimum human disturbances. The Basking activities in relation to depth showed that > 80 % of the Gharials selected sandy banks. Among the 2 populations, the gharials in Khoria muhan preferred shallow to moderate depth of water because of presence of braided channels in the area. In contrast, the Gharials in Velaunji select deep water course of the main channel. The park management must adopt conservation measures such as ban of fishing and regular monitoring of habitats and population to maintain long term conservation of gharials in Narayani river.J. Nat. Hist. Mus. Vol. 27, 2013: 1-11

Bears, Zoos, and Wilderness: The Poverty of Social Constructionism

2002 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Dombrowski
Keyword(s):  
Social Construction ◽  
Social Constructionism ◽  
Active Imagination ◽  
Short Article ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Construction Of Nature ◽  
In The Wild

AbstractIt is the purpose of this short article to defend the realism of Holmes Rolston and other environmental philosophers against the social constructionism of Neil Evernden and others who have written on the social construction of nature. This defense is attempted through appeal to a deceptively simple example: seeing a bear in a zoo.The following four claims are defended in the effort to show the deficiencies of the anthropocentrism of social constructionists like Evernden: (1) there is a difference between a bear in a zoo and one in the wild; (2) this difference legitimates the belief that the former is an attenuated version of the latter; (3) the danger posed by a bear in the wild is not due to an overly active imagination; and (4) experience of sublime beauty (in contrast to mere cuteness) in the presence of a wild bear is only partly of one's own doing.

scholarly journals Status and conservation of parrots and parakeets in the Greater Antilles, Bahama Islands, and Cayman Islands

1991 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. Wiley
Keyword(s):  
Education Programme ◽  
Greater Antilles ◽  
Cayman Islands ◽  
Agricultural Pests ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
Grand Cayman ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Puerto Rican Parrot

SummaryIn the 1490S a minimum of 28 species of psittacines occurred in the West Indies. Today, only 43% (12) of the species survive. All macaws and most parakeet species have been lost. Although the surviving parrot fauna of the Greater Antilles, Cayman Islands, and Bahama Islands has fared somewhat better than that of the Lesser Antilles, every species has undergone extensive reductions of populations and all but two have undergone extensive reductions in range, mostly as a result of habitat loss, but also from persecution as agricultural pests, conflicts with exotic species, harvesting for pets, and natural disasters. The Cayman Brae Parrot Amazona leucocephala hesterna, with its tiny population (lessthan 150 individuals in the wild) and range, and the Puerto Rican Parrot A. vittata, with 22-23 birds in the wild and 56 individuals in captivity, must be considered on the of extinction and in need of (in the tatter's case, continuing) aggressive programmes of research and management. Other populations declining in numbers and range include the Yellow-billed Amazona collaria, and Black-billed A. agilis Parrots of Jamaica, Hispaniolan Parakeet Aratinga chloroptera, Hispaniolan Parrot Amazona ventralis, Cuban Parrot A. leucocephala leucocephala and, most seriously, Cuban Parakeet Aratinga euops. The population of the Grand Cayman Parrot (Amazona leucocephala caymanensis), although numbering only about 1,000 birds, appears stable and the current conservation programme gives hope for the survival of the race. An active conservation and public education programme has begun for the Bahama Parrot A. l. bahamensis, which still occurs in good numbers on Great Inagua Island, but is threatened on Abaco Island. Recommendations for conservation of parrots and parakeets in the region include (1) instituting term programmes of research to determine distribution, status, and ecology of each species; (2) developing conservation programmes through education and management approaches that are culturally, politically, and economically sensitive to the region; and providing and protecting habitat within suitably sized reserves.

scholarly journals Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals extremely low genetic diversity in a managed population of the Critically Endangered Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus, Gmelin, 1789)

2020 ◽  
pp. 202-206
Author(s):  
Surya Prasad Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Control Region ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Mt Dna ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Low Genetic Diversity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Gavialis Gangeticus ◽  
Genetic Assessment

A decline in the numbers of threatened species is often reversed by reintroduction with the aim of repopulating or strengthening the population to reduce the risk of extinction. The success of reintroduction programs is associated with demographic and genetic monitoring of the reintroduced populations. We undertook a genetic assessment of the Critically Endangered gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) to assess the current level of genetic variation using three partial mitochondrial (mt) DNA regions: cytochrome b, cytochrome c oxidase subunit-I and the control region. We sequenced 103 samples collected across 14 nesting sites. A low level of mtDNA variation was observed in the sampled population (hd = 0.462 ± 0.048; Pi = 0.00029 ± 0.00004). Only five distinct haplotypes were observed in three segregating sites. This is the first assessment of the genetic variation in the wild gharial population to be made using mtDNA. Homogeneity in the 520 bp hypervariable control region of the crocodilian mtDNA is reported here for the first time. The low mitochondrial diversity and no genetic structure in the sampled population is indicative of a genetic bottleneck, the founder effect and probably associated with humanassisted augmentation of the population of the gharial. An extremely low level of genetic variation in the largest gharial population highlights the vulnerability of the gharial population in the wild and calls for immediate genetic assessment of other gharial populations so that a robust conservation plan focusing on connectivity and enhanced protection can be developed for the long-term persistence of the gharial in the wild.

scholarly journals Juvenile emperor penguin range calls for extended conservation measures in the Southern Ocean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aymeric Houstin ◽  
Daniel P. Zitterbart ◽  
Karine Heerah ◽  
Olaf Eisen ◽  
Víctor Planas-Bielsa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Emperor Penguin ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Conservation Measures ◽  
Dynamic Habitat ◽  
Conservation Plans

AbstractTo protect the unique Southern Ocean biodiversity, conservation measures like marine protected areas (MPAs) are implemented based on the known habitat distribution of ecologically important species. However, distribution models focus on adults, neglecting that immatures animals can inhabit vastly different areas. Here, we show that current conservation efforts in the Southern Ocean are insufficient for ensuring the protection of the highly mobile Emperor penguin. We find that juveniles spend ∼90% of their time outside the boundaries of proposed and existing MPAs, and that their distribution extends far beyond (> 1500 km) the species’ extent of occurrence as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. We argue that strategic conservation plans for Emperor penguin and long-lived ecologically important species must consider the dynamic habitat range of all age classes.

scholarly journals Distribution and current conservation status of the Mexican Goodeidae (Actinopterygii, Cyprinodontiformes)

ZooKeys ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 885 ◽  
pp. 115-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Lyons ◽  
Kyle R. Piller ◽  
Juan Miguel Artigas-Azas ◽  
Omar Dominguez-Dominguez ◽  
Pablo Gesundheit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Status ◽  
The United States ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Captive Population ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
Captive Populations ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Many

The current distribution and abundance of the 40 species of Goodeidae fishes known from Mexico are described, and a total of 84 Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) is designated within these species. Two species and four ESUs are likely extinct with no captive populations, and three species and eight ESUs are probably extinct in the wild but have at least one captive population in Mexico, the United States, or Europe. Of the 35 extant species, the analyses indicate that nine should be considered as critically endangered, 14 as endangered, nine as vulnerable, and only three as least concern. Twenty-seven of these species have experienced substantial declines in distribution or abundance or both since 2000, and only eight appear to have remained relatively stable. Of the 72 extant ESUs, our analyses indicate that 29 should be considered as critically endangered, 21 as endangered, 18 as vulnerable, and only four as least concern. Brief summaries of the historic and current distributions and abundance of each species are provided, as well as ESU. Three strategies are recommended to conserve Mexican goodeids: protect the best-quality remaining habitats where goodeids still persist, restore degraded habitat and re-introduce species or ESUs where practical, and establish captive populations to ensure continued survival of the many species and ESUs that will almost inevitably go extinct in the coming years. Limited resources require cooperation and collaboration between scientists, conservationists, and aquarium hobbyists for successful captive maintenance.

Freeze-substituted fungal cells of Nectria haematococca: A comparison of the macroconidial walls of the adhesion-competent wild type with an adhesion-reduced mutant

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 688-689
Author(s):  
Thecan Caesar-Ton That ◽  
Lynn Epstein
Keyword(s):  
Freeze Substitution ◽  
Uranyl Acetate ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Nectria Haematococca ◽  
Fruit Extract ◽  
Dialysis Tubing ◽  
Tube Emergence ◽  
Contrast Microscopy ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Freeze Damage

Nectria haematococca mating population I (anamorph, Fusarium solani) macroconidia attach to its host (squash) and non-host surfaces prior to germ tube emergence. The macroconidia become adhesive after a brief period of protein synthesis. Recently, Hickman et al. (1989) isolated N. haematococca adhesion-reduced mutants. Using freeze substitution, we compared the development of the macroconidial wall in the wild type in comparison to one of the mutants, LEI.Macroconidia were harvested at 1C, washed by centrifugation, resuspended in a dilute zucchini fruit extract and incubated from 0 - 5 h. During the incubation period, wild type macroconidia attached to uncoated dialysis tubing. Mutant macroconidia did not attach and were collected on poly-L-lysine coated dialysis tubing just prior to freezing. Conidia on the tubing were frozen in liquid propane at 191 - 193C, substituted in acetone with 2% OsO4 and 0.05% uranyl acetate, washed with acetone, and flat-embedded in Epon-Araldite. Using phase contrast microscopy at 1000X, cells without freeze damage were selected, remounted, sectioned and post-stained sequentially with 1% Ba(MnO4)2 2% uranyl acetate and Reynold’s lead citrate. At least 30 cells/treatment were examined.

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