scholarly journals Mate Preference Plasticity in a Critically Endangered Frog: Implications for Conservation Breeding

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon R. Kelleher ◽  
Aimee J. Silla ◽  
Anne G. Hertel ◽  
Niels J. Dingemanse ◽  
Phillip G. Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Individual Variation ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Advertisement Call ◽  
Female Mate ◽  
Sequential Trials ◽  
Conservation Breeding

Variation in female mate preferences for male traits remains poorly understood (both among and within females), despite having important evolutionary and conservation implications, particularly for captive breeding. Here, we investigate female mate preferences for male advertisement call frequency, and determine whether preferences vary over repeated trials, in the critically endangered southern corroboree frog, Pseudophryne corroboree. We conducted a series of phonotaxis trials in a six-speaker arena where naïve, captive-bred, virgin females were offered a choice between low, average and high frequency male advertisement calls, with a subset of females tested repeatedly. In the first trial, we found no evidence for a population-level preference for call frequency, but females spent less time in the low call zone than expected by chance. However, our results showed that female mate preferences changed over sequential trials. Females spent significantly more time in the low frequency call zone in the third trial compared to the first trial, and, in the last trial, females exhibited a significant population-level preference for low frequency calls. Subsequently, repeatability estimates of female preferences were low and did not significantly deviate from zero. Our results indicate that female P. corroboree mate preferences can exhibit temporal variation, and suggest that females are more attracted to low call frequencies after repeated exposure. These findings imply that female P. corroboree may become choosier over time, and highlight the potential for mate preferences to exhibit phenotypic plasticity within a single reproductive cycle. Overall, these findings provide the first information on mate preferences in P. corroboree, and emphasize the importance of considering individual variation in mate choice studies. From a conservation perspective, knowledge of individual variation in female mate preferences may be used to conduct behavioral manipulations in captivity that facilitate the breeding of genetically valuable individuals, and improve the success of conservation breeding programs.

scholarly journals Nineteen Years of Consistently Positive and Strong Female Mate Preferences despite Individual Variation

2019 ◽  
Vol 194 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Ryan ◽  
Karin L. Akre ◽  
Alexander T. Baugh ◽  
Ximena E. Bernal ◽  
Amanda M. Lea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Variation ◽  
Mate Preferences ◽  
Female Mate

scholarly journals Captive husbandry and breeding of the Nguru spiny pygmy chameleon Rhampholeon acuminatus

2021 ◽  
pp. 24-27
Author(s):  
Jay Redbond
Keyword(s):  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Pet Trade ◽  
Total Length ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Breeding Programmes ◽  
Conservation Breeding ◽  
Published Account

The Nguru spiny pygmy chameleon (Rhampholeon acuminatus) is endemic to the Nguru mountains in Tanzania. It is assessed as Critically Endangered and is collected from the wild for the pet trade. An ex-situ population of this species was recently established at The Wild Planet Trust, Paignton Zoo, in the hope of learning more about the husbandry and biology of this species. We report on the captive husbandry of adults and the successful breeding, hatching and rearing of juveniles. Females carried four eggs but laid them in pairs. When eggs were incubated at 19.2-22.8 °C, hatchlings emerged roughly 180 days after laying. The hatchlings had a total length of about 30 mm and weighed 0.2-0.3 g. To our knowledge, this is the first published account of captive breeding for this species. The husbandry methods described could be used to establish populations of this and other Rhampholeon species in captivity, which in turn would reduce the demand for wild caught (Rhampholeon), as well as inform future conservation breeding programmes for this species.

Condition-dependent foraging strategies in a coastal seabird: evidence for the rich get richer hypothesis

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 356-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brock Geary ◽  
Scott T Walter ◽  
Paul L Leberg ◽  
Jordan Karubian
Keyword(s):  
Individual Variation ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Foraging Ecology ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Brown Pelicans ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Foraging Movements

Abstract The degree to which foraging individuals are able to appropriately modify their behaviors in response to dynamic environmental conditions and associated resource availability can have important fitness consequences. Despite an increasingly refined understanding of differences in foraging behavior between individuals, we still lack detailed characterizations of within-individual variation over space and time, and what factors may drive this variability. From 2014 to 2017, we used GPS transmitters and accelerometers to document foraging movements by breeding adult Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) in the northern Gulf of Mexico, where the prey landscape is patchy and dynamic at various scales. Assessments of traditional foraging metrics such as trip distance, linearity, or duration did not yield significant relationships between individuals. However, we did observe lower site fidelity and less variation in energy expenditure in birds of higher body condition, despite a population-level trend of increased fidelity as the breeding season progressed. These findings suggest that high-quality individuals are both more variable and more efficient in their foraging behaviors during a period of high energetic demand, consistent with a “rich get richer” scenario in which individuals in better condition are able to invest in more costly behaviors that provide higher returns. This work highlights the importance of considering behavioral variation at multiple scales, with particular reference to within-individual variation, to improve our understanding of foraging ecology in wild populations.

scholarly journals Resource‐related variables drive individual variation in flowering phenology and mediate population‐level flowering responses to climate in an asynchronously reproducing palm

Biotropica ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 845-856
Author(s):  
Tadeo Ramirez‐Parada ◽  
Domingo Cabrera ◽  
Zoe Diaz‐Martin ◽  
Luke Browne ◽  
Jordan Karubian
Keyword(s):  
Individual Variation ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Flowering Phenology

scholarly journals Life History of the Golden Puddle Frog, Phrynobatrachus auritus Boulenger 1900 (Anura: Phrynobatrachidae)

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Geraud Canis Tasse Taboue ◽  
Eric Bertrand Fokam
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Development Time ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Advertisement Call ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sub Saharan

Frogs of the genus <em>Phrynobatrachus </em>Günther, 1862 are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. These are increasingly threatened by a number of factors and are believed to be declining. We report on captive breeding experiments involving <em>Phrynobatrachus auritus</em> Boulenger, 1900. We provide a comprehensive life history for this frog with emphasize on tadpole development time, as well as a description of both the advertisement call and calling behaviour of the adult.

Breeding biology of the critically endangered Malherbe's parakeet on Maud Island, New Zealand, following the release of captive-bred individuals

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Ortiz-Catedral ◽  
Jonathan C. Kearvell ◽  
Mark E. Hauber ◽  
Dianne H. Brunton
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Clutch Size ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Breeding Biology ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Small Islands ◽  
Austral Spring ◽  
Nesting Sites

We studied a population of the critically endangered Malherbe’s parakeet (Cyanoramphus malherbi), following the release of 62 captive-bred individuals on Maud Island, New Zealand, to identify and characterise nesting sites in a novel island environment. Previous work on Malherbe’s parakeets consisted of limited observations on remnant mainland populations. The age of breeding pairs on Maud Island was 7.2 ± 4.7 months and included both captive-bred individuals of the first release flock and individuals hatched on Maud Island within a year of the first release. Nests were found in hollows of mamaku (Cyathea medullaris), vacant nests of sacred kingfisher (Todiramphus sanctus), a hole in the ground and a hollow in a kohekohe (Disoxylum spectabile). Active nests were found in the austral spring, summer and autumn. Clutch size was 5 eggs. The fledging of three Malherbe’s parakeets was confirmed for one nest 43 days after hatching. Observations of newly fledged individuals around the island indicate that at least seven successful nesting attempts occurred. Consistent with other studies in Cyanoramphus parakeets, our results suggest that availability of nesting sites on small islands may not be a limiting factor for the establishment of additional populations of Malherbe’s parakeets via captive breeding and translocation. The formation of breeding pairs at an early age, the use of diverse nesting sites in regenerating vegetation, and the evidence of successful breeding shortly after release on an island represent encouraging prospects for the conservation of New Zealand’s rarest parakeet.

116 DEVELOPMENT OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE ENDANGERED MISSISSIPPI GOPHER FROG (RANA SEVOSA) AND SPERM TRANSFER FOR IN VITRO FERTILIZATION

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 170 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kouba ◽  
E. Willis ◽  
C. Vance ◽  
S. Hasenstab ◽  
S. Reichling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Sperm Concentration ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Leopard Frog ◽  
Genetic Management ◽  
Mississippi Gopher Frog

Species-specific differences in breeding strategies and physiology have limited the application of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) for critically endangered amphibians in captive assurance colonies. In 2006, the Memphis Zoo (MZ) initiated a program to develop ART for the critically endangered Mississippi gopher frog after natural breeding failed. Standard gamete collection and IVF developed by MZ for reproducing endangered toads such as the Wyoming or boreal toad were applied to the gopher frog with little success, especially hormonal therapy for sperm production. Using the leopard frog as a model species for Ranids, we tested the time and dose dependence of a luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogue (LHRHa) and hCG on sperm quantity and quality. Initial findings from the leopard frog study were critical in designing the study on gopher frogs. Our objectives were to (1) compare 2 different hormones administered intraperitoneal (500 IU hCG vs 15 μg LHRHa) or their combination on spermiation in gopher frogs; (2) develop in vivo oocyte maturation and ovulation protocols using LHRHa (15 μg) and hCG (500 IU); and (3) transfer this technology to another institution as proof of principle. In gopher frogs, 100 and 83% of the males produced sperm in response to the LHRHa and the combination treatment, respectively, whereas only 16% responded to hCG alone. Sperm concentration peaked at 1 h post-administration for all treatments, with the LHRH/hCG cocktail treatment producing the highest concentration of sperm (mean = 4.6 × 106 ± 1.2 × 106 sperm mL–1, n = 6). No differences in motility were observed between treatments (P > 0.05). For females, a series of priming hormones of hCG and LHRHa were given several months before an ovulatory hormone regimen resulting in ovulation by 100% of the females (n = 6), whereas animals not primed failed to ovulate (n = 4). These 3 separate priming and IVF trials conducted between 2008 and 2010 resulted in each female laying ∼2000 eggs, with an average fertilization rate of 76% for inseminated eggs and hundreds of tadpoles produced. These IVF tadpoles represent the first captive reproduction of gopher frogs and highlight how ART can be applied to conservation and genetic management of threatened species. Subsequently, we tested our IVF protocols on gopher frogs at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo using fresh (collected on site) and chilled, shipped sperm from MZ. We collected 6169 eggs from 9 hormone-primed females with all animals ovulating. A portion of the total eggs ovulated were inseminated, resulting in 2401 fertilized eggs (38.9% of total eggs collected) across 18 different male–female pairings leading to viable tadpoles. In addition, sperm transferred overnight from the MZ produced 202/441 fertilized eggs (46%). The transfer of this technology and production of endangered amphibians using chilled, shipped sperm from live animals is a conservation milestone that can be applied to other captive breeding programs.

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