Dietary analysis of an uncharacteristic population of the Mountain Pygmy-possum(Burramys parvus)in the Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales, Australia

BackgroundThe Mountain Pygmy-possum (Burramys parvus) is a critically endangered marsupial, endemic to alpine regions of southern Australia. We investigated the diet of a recently discovered population of the possum in northern Kosciuszko National Park, NSW, Australia. This new population occurs at elevations well below the once-presumed lower elevation limit of 1,600 m.Goals and MethodsFaecal material was analysed to determine if dietary composition differed between individuals in the newly discovered northern population and those in the higher elevation southern population, and to examine how diet was influenced by rainfall in the southern population and seasonal changes in resource availability in the northern population.Results and DiscussionThe diet ofB. parvusin the northern population comprised of arthropods, fruits and seeds. Results indicate the diet of both populations shares most of the same invertebrate orders and plant species. However, in the absence of preferred food types available to the southern population, individuals of the northern population opportunistically consumed different species that were similar to those preferred by individuals in higher altitude populations. Differing rainfall amounts had a significant effect on diet, with years of below average rainfall having a greater percentage composition and diversity of invertebrates. Seasonal variation was also recorded, with the northern population increasing the diversity of invertebrates in their diet during the Autumn months when Bogong Moths (Agrotis infusa) were absent from those sites, raising questions about the possum’s dependence on the speciesConclusionsMeasurable effects of rainfall amount and seasonal variation on the dietary composition suggest that predicted climatic variability will have a significant impact on its diet, potentially impacting its future survival. Findings suggest that it is likely thatB. parvusis not restricted by dietary requirements to its current pattern of distribution. This new understanding needs to be considered when formulating future conservation strategies for this critically endangered species.

Download Full-text

The Atlantic Goliath Grouper: Conservation Strategies for a Critically Endangered Species in Brazil

Advances in Marine Vertebrate Research in Latin America - Coastal Research Library ◽

10.1007/978-3-319-56985-7_14 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 367-405

Author(s):

Maurício Hostim-Silva ◽

Áthila A. Bertoncini ◽

Maíra Borgonha ◽

Jonas Rodrigues Leite ◽

Matheus O. Freitas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endangered Species ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Critically Endangered Species ◽

Goliath Grouper

Download Full-text

Sphaerocarpos muccilloi (Sphaerocarpaceae, Marchantiophyta), a critically endangered species recollected in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and Sphaerocarpos texanus, a new record to Brazil

Rodriguésia ◽

10.1590/2175-7860202071004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 71 ◽

Author(s):

Juçara Bordin ◽

Daiane Valente Valente ◽

Denilson Fernandes Peralta ◽

Paulo Eduardo Aguiar Saraiva Câmara

Keyword(s):

Threatened Species ◽

New Records ◽

Rio Grande ◽

Red List ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Herbarium Specimens ◽

Rio Grande Do Sul ◽

Critically Endangered Species ◽

The Family

Abstract Sphaerocarpos muccilloi (Sphaerocarpaceae, Marchantiophyta) was described in 1981, being an endemic species and the only species of the family to Brazil. This species is considered as Critically Endangered (CR) according to “Red List of threatened species of the Rio Grande do Sul state”. Sphaerocarpos muccilloi was recorded in three places only in Rio Grande do Sul: Porto Alegre, São Leopoldo and Ivoti (collected from 1963 to 1977). These sites are highly anthropized and the last records being from more than 40 years. After a revision of herbarium specimens and several field trips we recollected S. muccilloi in the Pampa Biome, in Santana do Livramento municipality, at the Ibirapuitã Environmental Protection Area (APA do Ibaratuitã), Mata and Santa Vitória do Palmar municipalities. Another species (S. texanus), not reported to Brazil, was reported now to Paraná state. These new records provide important information about occurrence and distribution of the family to Brazil. Regarding to S. muccilloi, these new records show that the range of occurrence is wider than previous reported. This new data will help the next revision of the Red List of Threatened Species of Rio Grande do Sul and Brazil and will subsidize conservation strategies.

Download Full-text

Molecular dietary analyses of western capercaillies (Tetrao urogallus) reveal a diverse diet

10.1101/2021.03.08.434346 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Physilia Ying Shi Chua ◽

Youri Lammers ◽

Emmanuel Menoni ◽

Torbjørn Ekrem ◽

Kristine Bohmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Focal Point ◽

Environmental Dna ◽

Taxonomic Resolution ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Dietary Composition ◽

Tetrao Urogallus ◽

Dietary Analysis ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Microhistological Analysis

ABSTRACTConservation strategies centred around species habitat protection rely on species’ dietary information. One species at the focal point of conservation efforts is the herbivorous grouse, the western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus). Traditional microhistological analysis of crop contents or faeces and/or direct observations are time-consuming and at low taxonomic resolution. Thus, limited knowledge on diet is hampering conservation efforts. Here we use non-invasive environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding on DNA extracted from faeces to present the first large-scale molecular dietary analysis of capercaillies. Faecal samples were collected from seven populations located in Norway (Finnmark, Troms, Trøndelag, Innlandet) and France (Vosges, Jura, Pyrenees) (n=172). We detected 122 plant taxa belonging to 46 plant families of which 37.7% of the detected taxa could be identified at species level. The average dietary richness of each sample was 7 ± 5 SD taxa. The most frequently occurring plant groups with the highest relative read abundance (RRA) were trees and dwarf shrubs, in particular, Pinus and Vaccinium myrtillus, respectively. There was a difference in dietary composition (RRA) between samples collected from the different locations (adonis F5,86= 11.01, p <0.05) and seasons (adonis F2,03= 0.64, p <0.05). Dietary composition also differed between sexes at each location (adonis F1,47 = 2.77, p <0.05), although not significant for all data combined. In total, 35 taxa (36.84% of taxa recorded) were new capercaillie food items compared to existing knowledge. The non-invasive molecular dietary analysis applied in this study provides new ecological understanding of capercaillies’ diet which can have real conservation implications. The broad variety of diet items indicates that vegetation does not limit food intake. This plasticity in diet suggests that other factors including disturbed mating grounds and not diet could be the main threat to their survival.

Download Full-text

Diamonds and Daisies: Floristics and Conservation of Asteraceae in One of Brazil’s Major Centers of Endemism

Tropical Conservation Science ◽

10.1177/1940082919884292 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 194008291988429

Author(s):

Daniel Augusto Chaves ◽

Suelma Ribeiro-Silva ◽

Vanessa Lopes Rivera ◽

João Bernardo Azevedo Bringel ◽

Jimi Naoki Nakajima ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endangered Species ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Endemic Species ◽

National Park ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Mountain Range ◽

Campos Rupestres ◽

Critically Endangered Species ◽

Plant Endemism ◽

Centers Of Endemism

Brazilian rupestrian grasslands (campos rupestres) are old, climatically buffered infertile landscapes, which support many endemic species. Asteraceae show the high levels of plant endemism and contain more endangered species than any other family in Brazil. Here, we evaluated the complementarity of two protected areas for the conservation of endangered Asteraceae along the Espinhaço Mountain range, Southeast Brazil. Specifically, we investigated if the known endangered Asteraceae flora of the Diamantina District Plateau (38 species) occurs in two protected areas, Rio Preto State Park and Sempre Vivas National Park, and if these areas are complimentary or overlapping in protecting endangered Asteraceae species. To survey Asteraceae, we used a standardized RAPELD protocol (21 1 ha plots) and traditional floristic collecting (117 ha polygon/32 days/average team = 2.1 collectors) across different habitats and altitudes within both areas. RAPELD protocol recorded 115 species in a sample of 12,775 individuals of Asteraceae. Traditional floristic collecting recorded 172 species in a sample of 613 collections. Seventy-nine percent of endangered species known to occur within the Plateau were recollected by either RAPELD or traditional floristic collecting. Only 13% of endangered Asteraceae flora was common to both protected areas; 47% occur in Rio Preto State Park and 34% in Sempre Vivas National Park; combined, they recorded 68% of the endangered Plateau Asteraceae flora; only one critically endangered species was recorded. The two parks are complimentary but insufficient to protect the endangered Asteraceae flora of the Plateau; the uneven distribution of endangered species in the Diamantina District Plateau is a threat to their conservation.

Download Full-text

Horn's Biologically Active Substances - Can We Replace Horns of Critically Endangered Species (Saiga) by Horns of More Abundant Animals?

The Natural Products Journal ◽

10.2174/2210315506666161027144030 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 3-11

Author(s):

Ivan Miksík ◽

Oleg Romanov

Keyword(s):

Endangered Species ◽

Biologically Active Substances ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Critically Endangered Species ◽

Active Substances

Download Full-text

Where have all the sawfishes gone? Perspectives on declines of these Critically Endangered species in Sri Lanka

Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

10.1002/aqc.3617 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Akshay Tanna ◽

Daniel Fernando ◽

Ramajeyam Gobiraj ◽

Buddhi M. Pathirana ◽

Sahan Thilakaratna ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Endangered Species ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Critically Endangered Species

Download Full-text

The Oral Bacterial Community in Melanophryniscus admirabilis (Admirable Red-Belly Toads): Implications for Conservation

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9020220 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 220

Author(s):

Michele Bertoni Mann ◽

Janira Prichula ◽

Ícaro Maia Santos de Castro ◽

Juliana Mello Severo ◽

Michelle Abadie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endangered Species ◽

Bacterial Community ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Dietary Diversity ◽

Natural Habitat ◽

Critically Endangered ◽

Personal Genome ◽

Oral Microbiota ◽

Critically Endangered Species ◽

Anthropogenic Environment

Melanophryniscus admirabilis (admirable red-belly toad) is a microendemic and critically endangered species found exclusively along 700 m of the Forqueta River, in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil. One of the greatest concerns regarding the conservation of this species is the extensive use of pesticides in areas surrounding their natural habitat. In recent years, the adaptation and persistence of animal species in human-impacted environments have been associated with microbiota. Therefore, the present study aimed to characterize the oral bacterial community of wild M. admirabilis and to address the question of how this community might contribute to this toad’s adaptation in the anthropogenic environment as well as its general metabolic capabilities. A total of 11 oral samples collected from wild M. admirabilis were characterized and analyzed via high-throughput sequencing. Fragments of the 16S rRNA variable region 4 (V4) were amplified, and sequencing was conducted using an Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) System with 316 chips. A total of 181,350 sequences were obtained, resulting in 16 phyla, 34 classes, 39 orders, and 77 families. Proteobacteria dominated (53%) the oral microbiota of toads, followed by Firmicutes (18%), Bacteroidetes (17%), and Actinobacteria (5%). No significant differences in microbial community profile from among the samples were reported, which suggests that the low dietary diversity observed in this population may directly influence the bacterial composition. Inferences of microbiome function were performed using PICRUSt2 software. Important pathways (e.g., xenobiotic degradation pathways for pesticides and aromatic phenolic compounds) were detected, which suggests that the bacterial communities may serve important roles in M. admirabilis health and survival in the anthropogenic environment. Overall, our results have important implications for the conservation and management of this microendemic and critically endangered species.

Download Full-text

Activity patterns of wild Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) in the northern piedmont of the Altun Mountains, China

Animal Biology ◽

10.1163/15707563-00002471 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 65 (3-4) ◽

pp. 209-217 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yadong Xue ◽

Diqiang Li ◽

Wenfa Xiao ◽

Fang Liu ◽

Yuguang Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Variation ◽

Endangered Species ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Relative Activity ◽

Diel Activity ◽

Arid Areas ◽

Critically Endangered Species ◽

Camelus Bactrianus ◽

Diel Activity Patterns ◽

Bactrian Camels

There are significant gaps in our knowledge of wild camel ecology; especially the activity patterns that allow them to adapt to desert environments. The wild Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) is a critically endangered species that survives in the extreme desert conditions of Central Asia. We conducted camera trapping surveys at seven watering sites in the northern piedmont of the Altun Mountains from 2010 to 2012. We analyzed the frequency of photo-captures to elucidate the wild camels’ diel activity patterns, and the seasonal variation in their activity at watering sites. We found that these wild camels were predominantly diurnal at watering sites, with an increase in relative activity from sunrise, reaching a peak toward midday, and then gradually decreasing in activity until sunset. The camels visited watering sites more often in winter than in summer. These results provide a guide for water development in the conservation of ungulates in arid areas.

Download Full-text