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169 results for “conservation effectiveness”
Data from: Levels and spatial patterns of effective population sizes in the southern damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale): On the need to carefully interpret single-point and temporal estimations to set conservation guidelines
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Data from: Estimating the effective population size across space and time in the Critically Endangered western chimpanzee in Guinea-Bissau: Challenges and implications for conservation management
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Can at-risk species serve as effective conservation surrogates? Case study in northeastern US shrublands
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Data for: Critical habitat thresholds for effective pollinator conservation in agricultural landscapes
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Cross-seasonal effects in the American Woodcock: conditions prior to fall migration relate to migration strategy and its implications for conservation
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Assessing the effectiveness of global protected areas in conserving plant community completeness
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Data from: Effects of human-wildlife conflicts on local people’s livelihoods and wildlife conservation in and around Alitash National Park, Northwest Ethiopia
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Niche dynamics of Memecylon in Sri Lanka: distribution patterns, climate change effects, and conservation priorities
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Data from: Assessing the effectiveness of protected areas for conserving range-restricted rainforest butterflies in Sabah, Borneo
Rainforests on Borneo support exceptional concentrations of endemic insect biodiversity, but many of these forest-dependent species are threatened by land-use change. Totally protected areas (TPAs) of forest are key for conserving biodiversity, and we examined the effectiveness of the current TPA network for conserving range-restricted butterflies in Sabah (Malaysian Borneo). We found that mean diurnal temperature range and precipitation of the wettest quarter of the year were the most important predictors of butterfly distributions (N = 77 range-restricted species), and that species richness increased with elevation and aboveground forest carbon. On average across all species, TPAs were effective at conserving ~43% of species' ranges, but encompassed only ~40% of areas with high species richness (i.e. containing at least 50% of our study species). The TPA network also included only 33-40% of areas identified as high priority for conserving range-restricted species, as determined by a systematic conservation prioritization analysis. Hence, the current TPA network is reasonably effective at conserving range-restricted butterflies, although considerable areas of high species richness (6565 km2) and high conservation priority (11,152-12,531 km2) are not currently protected. Sabah's remaining forests, and the range-restricted species they support, are under continued threat from agricultural expansion and urban development, and our study highlights important areas of rainforest that require enhanced protection.
Phylogenomics and species delimitation for effective conservation of manta and devil rays
<p>Practical biodiversity conservation relies on delineation of biologically meaningful units. Manta and devil rays (Mobulidae) are threatened worldwide, yet morphological similarities and a succession of recent taxonomic changes impede the development of an effective conservation strategy. Here, we generate genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data from a geographically and taxonomically representative set of manta and devil ray samples to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships and evaluate species boundaries under the general lineage concept. We show that nominal species units supported by alternative data sources constitute independently evolving lineages, and find robust evidence for a putative new species of manta ray in the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, we uncover substantial incomplete lineage sorting indicating that rapid speciation together with standing variation in ancestral populations has driven phylogenetic uncertainty within Mobulidae. Finally, we detect cryptic diversity in geographically distinct populations, demonstrating that management below the species level may be warranted in certain species. Overall, our study provides a framework for molecular genetic species delimitation that is relevant to wide-ranging taxa of conservation concern, and highlights the potential for genomic data to support effective management, conservation, and law enforcement strategies.</p>
Wild at heart: programs to diminish negative ecological and evolutionary effects of conservation hatcheries
<p>Hatchery programs are critical for conservation and management of many imperiled fishes. Most traditional aquaculture programs negatively affect ecological performance, genetic, and phenotypic diversity of hatchery-origin fish compared with wild counterparts. Here, we synthesize outcomes of three conservation programs aimed at enhancing 'wildness'. Each program focuses on a different species: lake sturgeon, razorback sucker, and Rio Grande silvery minnow. These species differ in key life history traits including size and age at sexual maturity, reproductive and migratory behavior, and habitat requirements. Threats to persistence of the focal taxa, however, exemplify common pressures experienced by freshwater fishes worldwide. Conservation hatchery programs for lake sturgeon, razorback sucker, and Rio Grande silvery minnow capitalize on natural spawning in the wild followed by collections of wild-fertilized eggs/larvae for hatchery rearing. Individuals are repatriated to the wild after rearing to body sizes less susceptible to mortality. Protocols include collections of eggs or larvae across the entire spawning period and at appropriate geographic scales to maximize retention of genetic diversity and, to increase the likelihood of preserving variation for heritable life history traits. Using direct and indirect evidence we show that hatchery programs that allow individuals to fulfill parts of the life-cycle in their native habitats can be conducted without compromising genetic diversity. Adoption of similar strategies in other imperiled fishes would improve understanding of species life history, and provide an incentive to protect native habitats so they may eventually support self-sustaining populations.</p>
Data from: Terrestrial-focused protected areas are effective for conservation of freshwater fish diversity in Lake Tanganyika
Freshwater protected areas are rarely designed specifically for this purpose and consequently their conservation benefit cannot be guaranteed. Using Lake Tanganyika as a test case we investigated the benefits of terrestrial-focussed protected areas on the alpha and beta taxonomic and functional diversity of the diverse endemic rocky-shore cichlid fishes. Lake Tanganyika has limited protected shorelines and continued human population growth in its catchment, which has potential for negative impacts on habitat quality and key biological processes. We conducted 554 underwater surveys across a gradient of human disturbance including two protected areas, along 180 km of Tanzanian coastline, sampling 70 cichlid species representing a diverse range of life-histories and trophic groups. Alpha diversity was up to 50% lower outside of protected areas, and herbivores appeared most affected. Turnover dominated within-locality variation in beta diversity, but the nestedness component was positively related to human disturbance indicating an increase in generalist species outside of protected areas. Within protected areas the decline in zeta diversity (the expected number of shared species across multiple surveys) was best described by power law functions, which occur when local abundance is predicted by regional abundance; but declined exponentially in unprotected waters indicating a dominance of stochastic assembly. Despite not being designed for the purpose, the protected areas are clearly benefitting cichlid taxonomic and functional diversity within Lake Tanganyika, probably through local reduction in sediment deposition and/or pollution, but as cichlids can be poor dispersers protected area coverage should be expanded to benefit isolated communities.
Effect of participation in commercial production of medicinal plants through community-based conservation groups on farm income at Kakamega forest, Kenya
<p class="Abstract">Forest conservation by peripheral communities is one of the most advocated strategies for ensuring sustainable supply of forest goods and services. In Kenya, although conservation activities generate considerable environmental improvements, studies evaluating the economic benefits are very limited. This study aimed at assessing the impact of participating in the commercialization training program by forest adjacent communities on farm income. Utilizing matching techniques, the analysis is based on the data collected from a randomly selected sample of farm households around Kakamega forest in Kenya. The results show that age, forest distance, forest benefit, market distance and farming experience are the main factors that influence the participation in the commercialization program. Also, participating in commercial production of medicinal plants has a positive and significant effect on farmers' income. The average treatment effect on the treated (ATT), based on three estimation algorithms, ranges from KSH. 80,047 to KSH. 176,788 per hectare, per year, implying that policy efforts that focus on the participation in the commercialization program of medicinal plants can enhance incomes among farm-dependent households. The findings from this study suggest that upscaling the participation in the commercialization program to other areas.</p>
Data from: Landscape context and farm uptake limit effects of bird conservation in the Swedish Volunteer & Farmer Alliance
1. In Europe, agri-environmental schemes (AES) have been unsuccessful in halting biodiversity declines to any great extent. Two particular shortcomings of AES include the low farm uptake and the modest efficacy of many AES options. Partly in response to these shortcomings, initiatives encouraging farmers to take an active role in biodiversity conservation have gained in popularity. However, almost no evaluations of such initiatives exist. 2. We evaluated uptake of conservation advice on farms in the Swedish Volunteer & Farmer Alliance, a BirdLife Sweden-coordinated project aimed at farmland bird conservation, and the response of farmland birds to those actions using farm-level survey data, in a before-after implementation assessment. 3. Uptake was higher for unsubsidised (i.e. non-AES) measures than for AES options, and depended on farmers' interest in nature, farm size (higher uptake on larger farms) and production type (higher on organic farms). 4. In general, abundances of non-crop nesting and field-nesting bird species declined between inventory years (median interval 3 years). Decreases were more marked in agriculturally marginal regions than in more arable-dominated regions, and declines were stronger on organic than conventional farms. 5. Negative abundance trends among non-crop nesting species were reduced by an increasing number of conservation measures at the farm, but only in the more arable-dominated landscapes. Changes in other non-crop species and in field-nesting species did not significantly relate to implemented measures, but the power to detect such effects was generally small due to the small sample size of high-uptake farms as well as high inter-farm variability. 6. Implications: Our results suggest that Volunteer Farmer Alliances and the addition of unsubsidised measures may be successful in changing the local number of non-crop nesting farmland birds at the farm level, and especially so in intensively managed agricultural landscapes. Thus, unsubsidised measures can be a useful addition to the set of agri-environment tools, although their effects on breeding bird numbers are (as with AES) dependent on landscape context, as well as on ensuring high on-farm uptake of different interventions.
Data from: Challenges of NGS in conservation management: insights from long-term monitoring of corridor effects on the genetic diversity of mouse lemurs in a fragmented landscape
Long-term genetic monitoring of populations is essential for efforts aimed at preserving genetic diversity of endangered species. Here, we employ a framework of long-term genetic monitoring to evaluate the effects of fragmentation and the effectiveness of the establishment of corridors in restoring population connectivity and genetic diversity of mouse lemurs Micocebus ganzhorni. To this end, we supplement estimates of neutral genetic diversity with the assessment of adaptive genetic variability of the MHC. In addition, we address the challenges of long-term genetic monitoring of functional diversity by comparing the genotyping performance and estimates of MHC variability generated by SSCP/Sanger-sequencing with those obtained by high throughput sequencing (NGS, Illumina), an issue that is particularly relevant when previous work serves as a baseline for planning management strategies that aim to ensure the viability of a population. We report that SSCP greatly underestimates individual diversity and that discrepancies in estimates of MHC diversity attributable to the comparisons of traditional and NGS genotyping techniques can influence the conclusions drawn from conservation management scenarios. Evidence of migration among fragments in Mandena suggests that mouse lemurs are robust to the process of fragmentation and that the effect of corridors is masked by ongoing gene flow. Nonetheless, results based on a larger number of shared private alleles at neutral loci between fragment pairs found after the establishment of corridors in Mandena suggest that gene flow is augmented as a result of enhanced connectivity. Our data points out that despite low effective population size, M. ganzhorni maintains high individual heterozygosity at neutral loci and at MHC II DRB gene and that selection plays a predominant role in maintaining MHC diversity. These findings highlight the importance of long-term genetic monitoring in order to disentangle between the processes of drift and selection maintaining adaptive genetic diversity in small populations.
Data from: Paying for conservation: a bioeconomic analysis of the effects of land management options on the viability of an endangered species, Eryngium alpinum
1. Land management is critical for biodiversity conservation in mountain grasslands. It should be both ecologically effective and economically efficient. We provide an economic analysis of different options (spring and autumn grazing, mowing and abandonment) and their effects on population viability of a rare plant species, Eryngium alpinum (Apiaceae), in two French mountain grassland sites (Fournel and Pralognan). 2. Using data collected in a ten-year, individual-based demographic study, we estimated the effects of land management options on the population growth rate and simulated the effect of combinations of options. Income earned through each option was estimated using data on associated costs (price of consumables, working time, wages) and benefits (forage production, quality and price), and we assessed the economic effects of agri-enviro nment subsidies (AESs). We also simulated the effects of increased frequencies of extreme climatic events (such as the 2003 heatwave). 3. Spring grazing was the worst option for E. alpinum demography but the best in economic terms, as it provided net positive incomes. Autumn grazing was the best option, resulting in positive growth rates and incomes, even if the latter were lower than for spring grazing. Mowing was the second best option for demography but resulted in economic losses for farmers. Abandonment provided zero income and was not favourable to population growth. 4. In Fournel, AESs allowed for economically and ecologically near-optimal combinations of management options. In Pralognan, alternating years of grazing with mowing resulted in an acceptable compromise, with positive growth rates and incomes, but AESs were not sufficient to cover the opportunity cost of spring and autumn grazing. Mowing was also unattractive because of the inaccessibility of the site and impossibility to recover the hay to make forage. 5. Simulations with increased frequency of extreme climatic events resulted in negative growth rates in Pralognan, questioning the continuation of AESs in extinction-prone populations. 6. Synthesis and applications. The conservation effectiveness and economic efficiency of grassland management could be improved by alternating practices over several years. However, existing agri-environment subsidies would barely be sufficient to increase uptake of the most favourable land management options for biodiversity.
Data from: Maintaining a wild phenotype in a conservation hatchery program for Chinook salmon: the effect of managed breeding on early male maturation
In many salmonid species, age and size of maturation is plastic and influenced by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Hatchery reared salmon often mature at an earlier age and smaller size than wild fish. Modern salmon conservation efforts have focused on managing the level of gene flow between hatchery and natural origin fish to minimize potential genotypic and phenotypic change. In salmonids, maturation probability is dependent on exceeding a genetically set threshold in growth rate and energetic status (and by association body size) referred to as the probabalisitic maturation reaction norm (PMRN). Over fourteen years, we monitored the frequency of age-2 precocious male maturation (common term: minijack rate) and the PMRN of a natural founder (FNDR), integrated natural-hatchery (INT), and segregated hatchery (SEG) broodlines of spring Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. The average minijack rate (± SEM) of the FNDR, INT and SEG broodlines was 48.2 ± 5.2%, 41.9 ± 3.6% and 30.9 ± 4.7%, respectively. Additionally, the PMRN WP50 (predicted weight at 50% maturation) of the SEG broodline was significantly greater (20.5 g) than that of the FNDR/INT broodline (18.2 g). We also conducted a common garden experiment exploring the effects of less than one [INT (0-1)], one [SEG (1)] or two [SEG (2)] generations of hatchery culture on the minijack rate and PMRN WP50 . Growth was not significantly different among broodlines, but minijack rates were significantly lower following two consecutive generations of hatchery culture: [INT (0-1): 68.3 ± 1.7%], [SEG (1): 70.3 ± 1.8%] and [SEG (2): 58.6 ± 0.4%] and the PMRN WP50 was significantly higher by 6.1 g after two generations of SEG culture. These results indicate that managed gene flow reduces phenotypic divergence, but may serve to maintain potentially undesirable high minijack rates in salmon conservation hatchery programs.
Supplementary material 1 from: Sosa-López JR, Díaz Bernal NN, Padilla E, Briones-Salas M (2023) Analysis of the effects of habitat characteristics, human disturbance and prey on felids presence using long-term community monitoring information. Nature Conservation 53: 279-295. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.53.104135
Sampling sites and dates on which the camera-traps were installed and Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) for Puma, Bobcat and Margay
Supplementary material 1 from: Fernandes N, Ferreira EM, Pita R, Mira A, Santos SM (2022) The effect of habitat reduction by roads on space use and movement patterns of an endangered species, the Cabrera vole Microtus cabrerae. In: Santos S, Grilo C, Shilling F, Bhardwaj M, Papp CR (Eds) Linear Infrastructure Networks with Ecological Solutions. Nature Conservation 47: 177-196. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.47.71864
The effect of habitat encroachment by roads on space use and movement patterns of an endangered vole
Assessing the effectiveness of a forest Habitat Conservation Plan for a threatened seabird, the marbled murrelet
<p>Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) commonly facilitate habitat conservation on private land in the United States, yet the effectiveness of individual HCPs is rarely evaluated. Here, we assess the effectiveness of a high-profile HCP created by a lumber company to protect old-growth forest used for breeding by Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) on private land. We used 17 years of HCP-monitoring data to compare trends in murrelet occupancy and inland counts between private HCP areas and public reference areas over time. Based on occupancy models applied to audio-visual survey data, average occupancy was higher in public reference areas (0.85; 85% CI: 0.79-0.90) than in private HCP areas (0.46; 85% CI: 0.38-0.54). Numerically, trends in occupancy were slightly positive in public areas (λ=1.01; 85% CI: 0.94-1.08) and slightly negative in private areas (λ=0.97; 85% CI: 0.87-1.06), but confidence intervals did not preclude stable occupancy on both ownerships. Based on generalized linear mixed models applied to inland radar survey data, murrelet counts in private HCP areas (LS mean=8.7; 85% CI: 6.2-12.2) were lower than those in public reference areas (LS mean=14.8; 85% CI: 10.1-21.7), but confidence intervals overlapped. Murrelet counts declined by 12-17% annually on both ownerships over the study period based on the top model, but a closely competing interactive model suggested more rapid declines in public reference (14-20%) than in private HCP (10-15%) areas. Both models indicated that murrelet counts were negatively related to sea surface temperature, suggesting that warm ocean conditions negatively affect murrelet breeding effort. Collectively, these results suggest that while HCP habitat may be lower quality than public reference areas, the HCP has likely not exacerbated ongoing declines of murrelets in the region. This work highlights the importance of including reference areas when evaluating conservation policies. </p>
ScienceDex guides
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Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.