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opencc-by-4.0Jan 2022View details →

The impacts of management interventions on the sociality of African lions (Panthera leo): implications for lion conservation

<ol> <li>African lion (Panthera leo) populations normally consist of several neighbouring prides and multiple adult males or groups of males that interact competitively. In large, open systems, cub defence from infanticidal males and territory defence drive group living in lions. However, in smaller (< 1,000 km2), fenced wildlife reserves, opportunities for natural immigration and emigration are limited which means that the evolutionary drivers of lion sociality may collapse.</li> <li>Here, we use lion behavioural data collected from 16 wildlife reserves across South Africa to test how management-induced ecological conditions alter lion social dynamics.</li> <li>The number of lionesses observed together was best predicted by pride size, prey biomass and biome. Lionesses were less likely to group together as pride size increased, but more likely to group together as prey biomass and habitat productivity increased. In addition, adult males were observed more frequently with prides that had young (< 12 months) cubs in reserves that had unfamiliar adult males present compared to reserves without any unfamiliar adult males.</li> </ol> Our results demonstrate how intra-specific competition between lions drives their sociality, and this may break down in small, fenced wildlife reserves where lions are actively managed. Although small, fenced reserves in South Africa have made a significant contribution to increasing lion numbers on the continent, our work highlights several important ecological implications of active lion management. For wildlife managers, mimicking the outcomes of different levels of intra-specific competition is likely a critical management tool for the persistence of lions in small reserves.

FIG. 4 in Genetic diversity of Malagasy baobabs: implications for conservation

FIG. 4. — Observed nucleotide diversity PI (π) for the six Adansonia L. species endemic to Madagascar. Northern and southern populations of A. za Baill. are combined here. When distinguishing between geographic populations of A. za, nucleotide diversity was the same as combined for southern populations (π = 0.0029), but less for northern populations (π = 0.0026).

FIG. 3 in Genetic diversity of Malagasy baobabs: implications for conservation

FIG. 3. — Principal components analysis (PCA) of Malagasy Adansonia L. colored by species. Panels represent different PCA axes from: A, 2089 SNPs for all Malagasy Adansonia for axis 1 vs axis 2; B, axis 3 vs axis 4; C, 1873 SNPs for Longitubae taxa only for axis 1 vs axis 2; and D), axis 3 vs axis 4. Northern and southern populations of A. za Baill. labeled.

FIG. 2 in Genetic diversity of Malagasy baobabs: implications for conservation

FIG. 2. — SNP-based tree from 2089 biallelic SNPs as inferred by IQ-TREE. Values on the branches represent bootstrap support for the primary clades: A, broad scale relationships with monophyletic taxa collapsed and number of samples per clade indicated in parentheses; B, detailed phylogeny for the core Longitubae clade (A. perrieri Capuron, A. madagascariensis Baill., and A. za Baill.), with individual accessions mapped to their respective geographic localities in Madagascar (B). Adansonia za (Aza) accessions are listed in red; A. madagascariensis (Ama), in blue; and A. perrieri (Ape) accessions in yellow.

FIG. 1 in Genetic diversity of Malagasy baobabs: implications for conservation

FIG. 1. — Flowers of the six species of baobabs endemic to Madagascar: A, Adansonia grandidieri Baill.; B, A. madagascariensis Baill.; C, A. perrieri Capuron; D, A. rubrostipa Jum. & H. Perrier; E, A. suarezensis H. Perrier; F, A. za Baill. Photographs by David A. Baum and Nisa Karimi.

opencc-zeroApr 2022View details →

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Present and future distribution of bat hosts of sarbecoviruses: implications for conservation and public health

Global changes in response to human encroachment into natural habitats and carbon emissions are driving the biodiversity extinction crisis and increasing disease emergence risk. Host distributions are one critical component to identify areas at risk of viral spillover, and bats act as reservoirs of diverse viruses. We developed a reproducible ecological niche modelling pipeline for bat hosts of SARS-like viruses (subgenus Sarbecovirus), given that several closely-related viruses have been discovered and sarbecovirus-host interactions have gained attention since SARS-CoV-2 emergence. We assessed sampling biases and modeled current distributions of bats based on climate and landscape relationships and project future scenarios for host hotspots. The most important predictors of species distributions were temperature seasonality and cave availability. We identified concentrated host hotspots in Myanmar and projected range contractions for most species by 2100. Our projections indicate hotspots will shift east in Southeast Asia in locations greater than 2 °C hotter in a fossil-fueled development future. Hotspot shifts have implications for conservation and public health, as loss of population connectivity can lead to local extinctions, and remaining hotspots may concentrate near human populations.

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Data from: Diversity among rare and common congeneric plant species from the Garry oak and Okanagan shrub-steppe ecosystems in British Columbia: implications for conservation

Using universal non-coding chloroplast DNA markers (cpDNA), we investigated genetic diversity and genetic structure in four rare and common plant species pairs inhabiting threatened ecosystems (Garry Oak and Okanagan shrub-steppe) in British Columbia. The species found in the Garry oak ecosystem are: Sanicula bipinnatifida (purple sanicle; Apiaceae; rare), Sanicula crassicaulis (Pacific sanicle; Apiaceae; common), and Balsamorhiza deltoidea (deltoid balsamroot; Asteraceae; rare). The species found in the Okanagan shrub-steppe ecosystem are: Balsamorhiza sagittata (arrowleaf balsamroot; Asteraceae; common), Orthocarpus barbatus (Grand Coulee owl-clover; Orobanchaceae; rare), Orthocarpus luteus (yellow owl-clover; Orobanchaceae; common), Phacelia ramosissima (branching phacelia; Hydrophyllaceae; rare), and Phacelia linearis (thread-leaved phacelia; Hydrophyllaceae; common). Eight cpDNA regions were sequenced for each study species. Sequences were aligned and concatenated within each species, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to analyze patterns of regional genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure within genera and species. Results include: total gene diversity (Ht), nucleotide diversity (π), number of private alleles, haplotype networks, isolation by distance, and analysis of molecular variance.

opencc-zeroJul 2022View details →

Fig. 4 in The threat of free-ranging domestic dog to native wildlife: implication for conservation in Southeast Asia

Fig. 4. The spatial distribution of perceived risk from domestic dog (Canis familiaris) across mainland Southeast Asia. Excluded human settlements and water bodies have been marked in white.

Fig. 3 in The threat of free-ranging domestic dog to native wildlife: implication for conservation in Southeast Asia

Fig. 3. Percentage perceived risk in Avian and Mammalian orders. Height of peaks represent number of species scaled to 2, see Supplementary Materials 4 and 5. Orders with two or less species, including Otidiformes, Dermoptera, Perissodactyla, Pholidota, and Proboscidea, were removed for visualisation.

Fig. 2 in The threat of free-ranging domestic dog to native wildlife: implication for conservation in Southeast Asia

Fig. 2. Percentage perceived risk in Red List categories. Height of peaks represent number of species scaled to 2, see Supplementary Materials 4 and 5.

Fig. 1 in The threat of free-ranging domestic dog to native wildlife: implication for conservation in Southeast Asia

Fig. 1. Bayesian networks modelling (a) perceived risk to carnivore mammalian species, (b) perceived risk to non-carnivore mammalian species, (c) perceived risk to Avian species and, (d) the spatial distribution of perceived risk from domestic dogs in mainland Southeast Asia.

Figure 1 in Description, biology and conservation of a new species of Australian tree frog (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae: Litoria) and an assessment of the remaining populations of Litoria genimaculata Horst, 1883: systematic and conservation implications of an unusual speciation event

Figure 1. Distribution of Litoria myola sp. nov. (formerly termed iS) and the northern (N) and southern (S) lineages of Litoria genimaculata in the Wet Tropics, northeast Queensland. CT, Carbine Tableland; BMC, Black Mountain Corridor; LR, Lamb Range; BK, Bellenden Ker Range; AT, Atherton Tableland; MT, Malbon Thompson Range; GR, Graham Range.

Figure 2 in Description, biology and conservation of a new species of Australian tree frog (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae: Litoria) and an assessment of the remaining populations of Litoria genimaculata Horst, 1883: systematic and conservation implications of an unusual speciation event

Figure 2. Litoria myola, sp. nov., males (A, a pale individual; B, a heavily marked individual), Kuranda, north-east Queensland.

Figure 3 in Description, biology and conservation of a new species of Australian tree frog (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae: Litoria) and an assessment of the remaining populations of Litoria genimaculata Horst, 1883: systematic and conservation implications of an unusual speciation event

Figure 3. Spectrogram of the courtship call of Litoria myola sp. nov. (recorded at an air temperature of 25 °C). The spectrogram displays a single courtship call consisting of six notes ('tocs'). The degree of shading displays call intensity.

Figure 7 in Description, biology and conservation of a new species of Australian tree frog (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae: Litoria) and an assessment of the remaining populations of Litoria genimaculata Horst, 1883: systematic and conservation implications of an unusual speciation event

Figure 7. Rainforest stream habitat, with rocky (A) and sandy (B) substrate, Kuranda, north-east Queensland. Litoria myola sp. nov. and Litoria genimaculata are present at both sites.

opencc-zeroMay 2024View details →

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Data from: Growth and longevity of the endangered freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera): Implications for conservation and management

Key life-history data, such as growth and age, are necessary to effectively manage and conserve threatened freshwater mussel species. Traditionally growth and age studies require large yet destructive sample sizes covering all age classes. Such methods pose a risk to populations of conservation concern, and therefore alternative methods that need only limited sample sizes are necessitated to prevent further threats to such populations. We applied retrospective shell growth at age reconstructions to 98 critically endangered freshwater pearl mussel (FPM) individuals from 34 populations across Finland and Sweden, enabling the use of extremely small sample sizes (n = 1–6 per population). We compared the performance of six different growth models with the reconstructed size-at-age data across FPM juvenile (<20 years old) and adult life stages. The growth reconstruction model showed reasonable skill in reconstructing FPM growth patterns. The von Bertalanffy model was shown to be a good general descriptor of growth for FPM, but it systematically underestimated the asymptotic size. The power law model was the most accurate in estimating juvenile growth (lowest deviances from the size-at-age data). FPM showed great variability in longevity (Amax = 54–254 years) and growth constant k (0.018– 0.057 year-1). Our results show that reasonable estimates of growth can be attained even when sample sizes are extremely limited. The results can be further applied to gain knowledge on the population's age structure, size at maturation, and recovery potential. The methodology is applicable to other freshwater mussel species of conservation concern.

Fig. 2. A in First population assessment of two cryptic Tiger Geckos (Goniurosaurus) from northern Vietnam: Implications for conservation

Fig. 2. A: Macrohabitat and B: Microhabit of Goniurosaurus luii in Ha Lang District, Cao Bang Province, North Vietnam; specimens of G. luii from C: Cao Bang Province and D: Lang Son Province (new record). Photos Mona van Schingen, Marta Bernardes, and Tao Thien Nguyen.

Fig. 4. A in First population assessment of two cryptic Tiger Geckos (Goniurosaurus) from northern Vietnam: Implications for conservation

Fig. 4. A: Average population structure of Goniurosaurus catbaensis and a continental G. luii population from Cao Bang Province (May–August vs. June, respectively); B: Frequency histogram of Snout-vent length of G. catbaensis for the months May, July, and August.

Fig. 3. A in First population assessment of two cryptic Tiger Geckos (Goniurosaurus) from northern Vietnam: Implications for conservation

Fig. 3. A: Macrohabitat of Goniurosaurus catbaensis at the coast of Cat Ba Island; B: Limestone cliffs, the typical microhabitat of G. catbaensis; C: Adult male of G. catbaensis marked for population assessment; D: First evidence for the occurrence of G. catbaensis within limestone cave of small offshore Island in Ha Long Bay archipelago. Photos Hai Ngo, Tao Thien Nguyen, and Minh Le Pham.

Fig. 1 in First population assessment of two cryptic Tiger Geckos (Goniurosaurus) from northern Vietnam: Implications for conservation

Fig. 1. Distribution of the cryptic species Goniurosaurus catbaensis (gray circles) and G. luii (black circles): Filled circles represent study areas; dashed circle represents new record of G. luii; questions marks indicate former localities or sites where the current presence is unclear. Occurrence records were represented as big circles to prevent showing exact locality data.