Evaluating mitigation translocations for better biodiversity outcomes

<p>The expansion of urban areas and associated loss of natural areas due to development are greatly contributing to global biodiversity loss. Furthermore, development produces direct harm to wildlife and their habitat. In New Zealand, lizards and their habitat are legally protected and damage due to development of a natural area must be avoided or mitigated whenever possible. Mitigation translocations, the intentional relocation of individuals from the site to be developed to a receptor site, have become commonly used to meet legal obligations; however, mitigation translocations do not guarantee survival of individuals or population success at the receptor site. I aimed to evaluate the success of a mitigation translocation case study, proactively plan receptor sites for a mitigation translocation, and develop a framework for selecting and preparing receptor sites to provide better mitigation translocation outcomes, particularly for herpetofauna. I evaluated the short-term success of a mitigation translocation case study using results from post-release monitoring at receptor sites. This is one of the first studies to provide multiple post-release monitoring sessions and detail recapture rates and body condition changes of lizards at receptor sites with and without resident populations following mitigation translocation. I expanded upon commonly used receptor site selection criteria and translocation data management systems by proactively studying and preparing receptor sites in regional parks, including conducting pilot surveys to evaluate resident populations. Recapture rates were similar between receptor sites (9% and 11.8%) and the limited number of recaptured individuals showed an increase in body condition from the time of salvage to intervals of one- and two-years post-release. Presence of residents was not found to have an effect on recapture rates or body condition changes. Implementation of enhanced site selection criteria resulted in approval of six sites within three protected areas for future mitigation translocations. These sites had low numbers of resident lizards present, if at all. A geodatabase was developed to store results from receptor site evaluations before and after translocation. Together, the improved criteria and geodatabase fit into a framework for selecting and preparing receptor sites to improve outcomes of mitigation translocations of herpetofauna. The framework produced has potential to be used at a national level, in collaboration with ecologists, iwi, and community groups, and for a variety of species. Mitigation translocations should be re-evaluated as the go-to method to mitigate damage to lizards due to development; however, if they must continue, it is essential that best practices are used, and results are published so that outcomes can improve for biodiversity.</p>

Evaluating mitigation translocations for better biodiversity outcomes

<p>The expansion of urban areas and associated loss of natural areas due to development are greatly contributing to global biodiversity loss. Furthermore, development produces direct harm to wildlife and their habitat. In New Zealand, lizards and their habitat are legally protected and damage due to development of a natural area must be avoided or mitigated whenever possible. Mitigation translocations, the intentional relocation of individuals from the site to be developed to a receptor site, have become commonly used to meet legal obligations; however, mitigation translocations do not guarantee survival of individuals or population success at the receptor site. I aimed to evaluate the success of a mitigation translocation case study, proactively plan receptor sites for a mitigation translocation, and develop a framework for selecting and preparing receptor sites to provide better mitigation translocation outcomes, particularly for herpetofauna. I evaluated the short-term success of a mitigation translocation case study using results from post-release monitoring at receptor sites. This is one of the first studies to provide multiple post-release monitoring sessions and detail recapture rates and body condition changes of lizards at receptor sites with and without resident populations following mitigation translocation. I expanded upon commonly used receptor site selection criteria and translocation data management systems by proactively studying and preparing receptor sites in regional parks, including conducting pilot surveys to evaluate resident populations. Recapture rates were similar between receptor sites (9% and 11.8%) and the limited number of recaptured individuals showed an increase in body condition from the time of salvage to intervals of one- and two-years post-release. Presence of residents was not found to have an effect on recapture rates or body condition changes. Implementation of enhanced site selection criteria resulted in approval of six sites within three protected areas for future mitigation translocations. These sites had low numbers of resident lizards present, if at all. A geodatabase was developed to store results from receptor site evaluations before and after translocation. Together, the improved criteria and geodatabase fit into a framework for selecting and preparing receptor sites to improve outcomes of mitigation translocations of herpetofauna. The framework produced has potential to be used at a national level, in collaboration with ecologists, iwi, and community groups, and for a variety of species. Mitigation translocations should be re-evaluated as the go-to method to mitigate damage to lizards due to development; however, if they must continue, it is essential that best practices are used, and results are published so that outcomes can improve for biodiversity.</p>

Does genetic differentiation underlie behavioral divergence in response to migration barriers in sticklebacks? A common garden experiment

Water management measures in the 1970s in the Netherlands have produced a large number of “resident” populations of three-spined sticklebacks that are no longer able to migrate to the sea. This may be viewed as a replicated field experiment, allowing us to study how the resident populations are coping with human-induced barriers to migration. We have previously shown that residents are smaller, bolder, more exploratory, more active, and more aggressive and exhibited lower shoaling and lower migratory tendencies compared to their ancestral “migrant” counterparts. However, it is not clear if these differences in wild-caught residents and migrants reflect genetic differentiation, rather than different developmental conditions. To investigate this, we raised offspring of four crosses (migrant ♂ × migrant ♀, resident ♂ × resident ♀, migrant ♂ × resident ♀, resident ♂ × migrant ♀) under similar controlled conditions and tested for differences in morphology and behavior as adults. We found that lab-raised resident sticklebacks exhibited lower shoaling and migratory tendencies as compared to lab-raised migrants, retaining the differences in their wild-caught parents. This indicates genetic differentiation of these traits. For all other traits, the lab-raised sticklebacks of the various crosses did not differ significantly, suggesting that the earlier-found contrast between wild-caught fish reflects differences in their environment. Our study shows that barriers to migration can lead to rapid differentiation in behavioral tendencies over contemporary timescales (~ 50 generations) and that part of these differences reflects genetic differentiation. Significance statement Many organisms face changes to their habitats due to human activities. Much research is therefore dedicated to the question whether and how organisms are able to adapt to novel conditions. We address this question in three-spined sticklebacks, where water management measures cut off some populations, prohibiting their seasonal migration to the North Sea. In a previous study, we showed that wild-caught “resident” fish exhibited markedly different behavior than migrants. To disentangle whether these differences reflect genetic differentiation or differences in the conditions under which the wild-caught fish grew up, we conducted crosses, raising the F1 offspring under identical conditions. As their wild-caught parents, the F1 of resident × resident crosses exhibited lower migratory and shoaling tendencies than the F1 of migrant × migrant crosses, while the F1 of hybrid crosses were intermediate. This suggests that ~ 50 years of isolation are sufficient to induce behaviorally relevant genetic differentiation.

Greenways as Integrated Systems: A Proposal for Planning and Design Guidelines Based on Case Studies Evaluation

Greenways (GWs) can play a key role in the context of policies and strategies for sustainable territorial development because they contribute to the development of integrated plans and interventions for environmental safeguarding and socio-economic growth. As is generally understood, in their modern conception, GWs are not only develop soft mobility, but they also represent supporting elements of a new concept of development and use of territory, attentive to its particular characteristics and the needs of resident populations. Beginning with a critical analysis of the most significant case studies of greenways, the authors propose a system of design and evaluation guidelines useful in identifying specific GW-related actions. The identified actions are divided into two categories, which are tangible and intangible actions. The first category corresponds with concrete actions that are directly implemented through different design and construction phases; the second category corresponds with processes activated in the design phase and are concretized after the “commissioning” of the path and has repercussions on the sphere of place identity. These categories are often difficult to distinguish between because many actions can be considered to be both tangible and intangible.

Retour d’emigration, Enjeux Fonciers et Defi de Developpement a Zoukougbeu et Gregbeu (Centre-Ouest, Côte d’Evoire)

La crise politico-militaire de 2010 en Côte d’Ivoire a affecté les flux migratoires dans certaines régions du pays. On a assisté au retour massif de certaines populations dans leurs régions d’origine. Cette étude explore la question de la réinsertion des émigrants dans le jeu foncier de leur zone de départ, et met en exergue les enjeux sociaux liés à leur réintégration. L’étude vise à appréhender les stratégies développées par les populations résidentes et les émigrants dans la quête de ces derniers à intégrer l’arène foncière de leurs familles d’origine. La collecte des données a mobilisé la recherche documentaire, l’enquête par questionnaire, l’entretien et l’observation dans les sous-préfectures de Zoukougbeu et Gregbeu. L’étude relève que le retour définitif ou partiel des émigrants traduit un jeu de repositionnement, tant chez eux que chez les résidents. Le paradoxe de l’autochtone frustré par la raréfaction foncière mais qui constitue un acteur impulsant la dynamique sociale, politique et économique est expressif. En somme, cette étude invite à une politique de modernisation de l’agriculture afin que l’espoir des émigrants internes et externes (diaspora) débouche sur un retour partiel ou définitif réussi, avec des investissements productifs. The politico-military crisis of 2010 in Ivory Coast has affected migratory flows in some regions of the country. We have seen the massive return of some populations to their regions of origin. This study explores the question of the reintegration of emigrants into the land game of their area of departure, and highlights the social issues linked to their reintegration. The study aims to understand the strategies developed by resident populations and emigrants in the latter's quest to integrate the land arena of their families of origin. Data collection involved documentary research, questionnaire survey, interview and observation in the sub-prefectures of Zoukougbeu and Gregbeu. The study notes that the final or partial return of emigrants reflects a repositioning game, both for them and for residents. The paradox of the native frustrated by land scarcity but who is an actor driving social, political and economic dynamics is expressive. In short, this study calls for a policy of modernizing agriculture so that the hope of internal and external emigrants (diaspora) leads to a successful partial or final return, with productive investments.

Does genetic differentiation underlie behavioral divergence in response to migration barriers in sticklebacks? A common garden experiment

Water management measures in the 1970s in the Netherlands have produced a large number of ‘resident’ populations of three-spined sticklebacks that are no longer able to migrate to the sea. This may be viewed as a replicated field experiment, allowing us to study how the resident populations are coping with human-induced barriers to migration. We have previously shown that residents are smaller, bolder, more exploratory, more active, more aggressive, exhibited lower shoaling and lower migratory tendencies compared to their ancestral ‘migrant’ counterparts. However, it is not clear if these differences in wild-caught residents and migrants reflect genetic differentiation, rather than different developmental conditions. To investigate this, we raised offspring of four crosses (migrant ♂ x migrant ♀, resident ♂ x resident ♀, migrant ♂ x resident ♀, resident ♂ x migrant ♀) under similar controlled conditions and tested for differences in morphology and behavior as adults. We found that lab-raised resident sticklebacks exhibited lower shoaling and migratory tendencies as compared to lab-raised migrants, retaining the differences in their wild-caught parents. This indicates genetic differentiation of these traits. For all other traits, the lab-raised sticklebacks of the various crosses did not differ significantly, suggesting that the earlier-found contrast between wild-caught fish reflect differences in their environment. Our study shows that barriers to migration can lead to rapid differentiation in behavioral tendencies over contemporary timescales (∼50 generations), and that part of these differences reflects genetic differentiation.Significance statementMany organisms face changes to their habitats due to human activities. Much research is therefore dedicated to the question whether and how organisms are able to adapt to novel conditions. We address this question in three-spined sticklebacks, where water management measures cut off some populations, prohibiting their seasonal migration to the North Sea. In a previous study, we showed that wild-caught ‘resident’ fish exhibited markedly different behavior than migrants. To disentangle whether these differences reflect genetic differentiation or differences in the conditions under which the wild-caught fish grew up, we conducted crosses, raising the F1 offspring under identical conditions. As their wild-caught parents, the F1 of resident x resident crosses exhibited lower migratory and shoaling tendencies than the F1 of migrant x migrant crosses, while the F1 of hybrid crosses were intermediate. This suggests that ∼50 years of isolation are sufficient to induce behaviorally relevant genetic differentiation.

Anatomy promotes neutral coexistence of strains in the human skin microbiome

What enables strains of the same species to coexist in a microbiome? Here, we investigate if host anatomy can explain strain co-residence of Cutibacterium acnes, the most abundant species on human skin. We reconstruct on-person evolution and migration using 947 C. acnes colony genomes acquired from 16 subjects, including from individual skin pores, and find that pores maintain diversity by limiting competition. Although strains with substantial fitness differences coexist within centimeter-scale regions, each pore is dominated by a single strain. Moreover, colonies from a pore typically have identical genomes. An absence of adaptive signatures suggests a genotype-independent source of low within-pore diversity. We therefore propose that pore anatomy imposes random single-cell bottlenecks during migration into pores and subsequently blocks new migrants; the resulting population fragmentation reduces competition and promotes coexistence. Our findings imply that therapeutic interventions involving pore-dwelling species should focus on removing resident populations over optimizing probiotic fitness.

Ecological and growth patterns of the longsnout seahorse Hippocampus reidi inferred by mark-recapture techniques in a tropical estuary

The population structure of the longsnout seahorse Hippocampus reidi (Ginsburg 1933) was evaluated in an estuarine system in northeastern Brazil. A total of 425 captures were performed in the Vaza-Barris estuary and 232 individuals were marked with Visible Implant Fluorescent Elastomers. The population was estimated to be composed of 428 fish. The von Bertalanffy growth curve shows a steeper growth during the first months of life, up to about 17 months, and stabilization after 16 cm and 27 months of age. The hereby study indicates that the Vaza-Barris estuary is home to resident populations of longsnout seahorses. Moreover, these populations use mangrove roots as the main substrate for attachment and present well-defined ecological characteristics, such as habitat fidelity and highly structured social organization.

Predators and Parasitoids-in-First: From Inundative Releases to Preventative Biological Control in Greenhouse Crops

Repeated mass introductions of natural enemies have been widely used as a biological control strategy in greenhouse systems when the resident population of natural enemies is insufficient to suppress the pests. As an alternative strategy, supporting the establishment and population development of beneficials can be more effective and economical. The preventative establishment of predators and parasitoids, before the arrival of pests, has become a key element to the success of biological control programs. This “Predators and parasitoids-in-first” strategy is used both in Inoculative Biological Control (IBC), and in Conservation Biological Control (CBC). Here, we provide an overview of tools used to boost resident populations of biocontrol agents.