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7,849 results for “Conservancy”
Data from: Patterns of intra- and inter-population genetic diversity in Alaskan coho salmon: implications for conservation
Little is known about the genetic diversity of coho salmon in Alaska, although this area represents half of the species' North American range. In this study, nine microsatellite loci were used to genotype 32 putative coho salmon populations from seven regions of Alaska. The primary objectives were to estimate and evaluate the degree and spatial distribution of neutral genetic diversity within and among populations of Alaskan coho salmon. Genetic analysis yielded four results that provide insight into forces influencing genetic diversity in Alaskan coho salmon and have important conservation implications: 1) significant population differentiation was found within each region; 2) the degree of differentiation (FST = 0.099) among populations was as large or larger than that reported for other Pacific salmon species in Alaska; 3) phenetic clustering of populations showed weak geographic concordance; 4) strong genetic isolation by distance was only apparent at the finest geographic scale (within a drainage). These results suggest that coho salmon populations are small relative to populations of other Pacific salmon, and the genetic diversity within and among coho salmon populations is influenced primarily by genetic drift, and not gene flow. Resource management and conservation actions affecting coho salmon in Alaska must recognize that the populations are generally small, isolated, and probably exhibit local adaptation to different spawning and freshwater rearing habitats. These factors justify managing and conserving Alaskan coho salmon at a fine geographic scale.
Data from: Factoring economic costs into conservation planning may not improve agreement over priorities for protection
Conservation organizations must redouble efforts to protect habitat given continuing biodiversity declines. Prioritization of future areas for protection is hampered by disagreements over what the ecological targets of conservation should be. Here we test the claim that such disagreements will become less important as conservation moves away from prioritizing areas for protection based only on ecological considerations and accounts for varying costs of protection using return-on-investment (ROI) methods. We combine a simulation approach with a case study of forests in the eastern United States, paying particular attention to how covariation between ecological benefits and economic costs influences agreement levels. For many conservation goals, agreement over spatial priorities improves with ROI methods. However, we also show that a reliance on ROI-based prioritization can sometimes exacerbate disagreements over priorities. As such, accounting for costs in conservation planning does not enable society to sidestep careful consideration of the ecological goals of conservation.
Figure 2 in Status and conservation of crocodiles in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, eastern Nepal
Figure 2. Conservation of crocodile according community
Image 1 in Status and conservation of crocodiles in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, eastern Nepal
Image 1. Transects in the study area
Figure 2 in Ornithofauna and its conservation in the Kuttanad wetlands, southern portion of Vembanad-Kole Ramsar site, India
Figure 2. Status of the birds recorded from the Kuttanad wetlands
Figure 3 in Ornithofauna and its conservation in the Kuttanad wetlands, southern portion of Vembanad-Kole Ramsar site, India
Figure 3. Percentage distribution of feeding guilds of birds in Kuttanad wetland
Figure 1 in Ornithofauna and its conservation in the Kuttanad wetlands, southern portion of Vembanad-Kole Ramsar site, India
Figure 1. Six divisions of Kuttanad wetlands
Image 2 in Habitat suitability, threats and conservation strategies of Hump-nosed Pit Viper Hypnale hypnale Merrem (Reptilia: Viperidae) found in Western Ghats, Goa, India
Image 2. Gravid female killed in cashew plantation during weed clearance
Figure 1 in Habitat suitability, threats and conservation strategies of Hump-nosed Pit Viper Hypnale hypnale Merrem (Reptilia: Viperidae) found in Western Ghats, Goa, India
Figure 1. Distribution of Hypnale hypnale in the study sites and cashew plantations.
Image 1 in Habitat suitability, threats and conservation strategies of Hump-nosed Pit Viper Hypnale hypnale Merrem (Reptilia: Viperidae) found in Western Ghats, Goa, India
Image 1. Hypnale hypnale in natural habitat
Data from: Evaluating population viability and efficacy of conservation management using integrated population models
Predicting population responses to environmental conditions or management scenarios is a fundamental challenge for conservation. Proper consideration of demographic, environmental and parameter uncertainties is essential for projecting population trends and optimal conservation strategies. We developed a coupled integrated population model-Bayesian population viability analysis to assess the (1) impact of demographic rates (survival, fecundity, immigration) on past population dynamics; (2) population viability 10 years into the future; and (3) efficacy of possible management strategies for the federally endangered Great Lakes piping plover Charadrius melodus population. Our model synthesizes long-term population survey, nest monitoring and mark–resight data, while accounting for multiple sources of uncertainty. We incorporated latent abundance of eastern North American merlins Falco columbarius, a primary predator of adult plovers, as a covariate on adult survival via a parallel state-space model, accounting for the influence of an imperfectly observed process (i.e. predation pressure) on population viability. Mean plover abundance increased from 18 pairs in 1993 to 75 pairs in 2016, but annual population growth (math formula) was projected to be 0.95 (95% CI 0.72–1.12), suggesting a potential decline to 67 pairs within 10 years. Without accounting for an expanding merlin population, we would have concluded that the plover population was projected to increase (math formula = 1.02; 95% CI 0.94–1.09) to 91 pairs by 2026. We compared four conservation scenarios: (1) no proposed management; (2) increased control of chick predators (e.g. Corvidae, Laridae, mammals); (3) increased merlin control; and (4) simultaneous chick predator and merlin control. Compared to the null scenario, chick predator control reduced quasi-extinction probability from 11.9% to 8.7%, merlin control more than halved (3.5%) the probability and simultaneous control reduced quasi-extinction probability to 2.6%. Synthesis and applications. Piping plover recovery actions should consider systematic predator control, rather than current ad hoc protocols, especially given the predicted increase in regional merlin abundance. This approach of combining integrated population models with Bayesian population viability analysis to identify limiting components of the population cycle and evaluate alternative management strategies for conservation decision-making shows great utility for aiding recovery of threatened populations.
Data from: Avoided emissions and conservation of scrub mangroves: a potential Blue Carbon project in the Gulf of California, Mexico
Mangroves are considered ideal ecosystems for Blue Carbon projects. However, because of their short stature, some mangroves ("scrub" mangroves, < 2m) do not fulfil the current definition of "forests" which makes them ineligible for emission reduction programs such as REDD+. Short stature mangroves can be the dominant form of mangroves in arid and poor nutrient landscapes, and emissions from their deforestation and degradation could be substantial. Here, we describe a potential Blue Carbon project in the Gulf of California, Mexico, to illustrate that projects which avoid emissions from deforestation and degradation could provide financial resources to protect mangroves that cannot be included in other emission reduction programs. The goal of the project is to protect 16,058 ha of mangroves through conservation concessions from the Mexican Federal Government. The cumulative avoided emissions of the project are 2.84 million Mg CO2 over 100 years, valued at $US 426,000 per year (US$15 per Mg CO2 in the California market). The funds could be used for community-based projects that will improve mangrove management, such as surveillance, eradication of invasive species, rehabilitation after tropical storms, and environmental education. The strong institutional support, secure financial status, community engagement, and clear project boundaries provide favourable conditions to implement this Blue Carbon project. Financial resources from Blue Carbon projects, even in mangroves of short stature, can provide substantial resources to enhance community resilience and mangrove protection.
Data from: Behavioral syndromes shape evolutionary trajectories via conserved genetic architecture
Behaviors are often correlated within broader syndromes, creating the potential for evolution in one behavior to drive evolutionary changes in other behaviors. Despite demonstrations that behavioral syndromes are common, this potential for evolutionary effects has not been demonstrated. Here we show that populations of field crickets (Gryllus integer) exhibit a genetically conserved behavioral syndrome structure, despite differences in average behaviors. We found that the distribution of genetic variation and genetic covariance among behavioral traits was consistent with genes and cellular mechanisms underpinning behavioral syndromes rather than correlated selection. Moreover, divergence among populations' average behaviors was constrained by the genetically conserved behavioral syndrome. Our results demonstrate that a conserved genetic architecture linking behaviors has shaped the evolutionary trajectories of populations in disparate environments—illustrating an important way for behavioral syndromes to result in shared evolutionary fates.
Data from: Low-productivity boreal forests have high conservation value for lichens
1. Land set aside for preservation of biodiversity often has low productivity. As biodiversity generally increases with productivity, due to higher or more diverse availability of resources, this implies that some of the biodiversity may be left unprotected. Due to a lack of knowledge on the species diversity and conservation value of low-productivity habitats, the consequences of the biased allocation of low-productivity land for set-asides are unknown. 2. We examined the conservation value of boreal low-productivity forests (potential tree growth < 1 m3 ha-1 year-1) by comparing assemblages of tree- and deadwood-dwelling lichens and forest stand structure between productive and low-productivity forest stands. We surveyed 84 Scots pine-dominated stands in three regions in Sweden, each including four stand types: two productive (managed and unmanaged) and two low-productivity stands (on mires and on thin, rocky soils). 3. Lichen species richness was highest in low-productivity stands on thin soil, which had similar amounts and diversity of resources (living trees and dead wood) to productive unmanaged stands. Stands in low-productivity mires, which had low abundance of living trees and dead wood, hosted the lowest lichen richness. Lichen species composition differed among stand types, but none of them hosted unique species. The differences in both species richness and composition were more pronounced in northern than in southern Sweden, likely due to shorter history of intensive forestry. 4. Synthesis and applications: Boreal low-productivity forests can have as high conservation value as productive forests, which should be reflected in conservation strategies. However, their value is far from uniform, and conservation planning should acknowledge this variation and not treat all low-productivity forests as a uniform group. Some types of low-productivity forest (e.g. on thin soil) are more valuable than others (e.g. on mires), and should thus be prioritized in conservation. It is also important to consider the landscape context: low-productivity forests may have higher value in landscapes where high-productivity forests are highly influenced by forestry. Finally, although low-productivity forests can be valuable for some taxa, productive forests may still be important for other taxa.
Data from: Is MHC diversity a better marker for conservation than neutral genetic diversity? a case study of two contrasting dolphin populations
Genetic diversity is essential for populations to adapt to changing environments. Measures of genetic diversity are often based on selectively neutral markers, such as microsatellites. Genetic diversity to guide conservation management, however, is better reflected by adaptive markers, including genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Our aim was to assess MHC and neutral genetic diversity in two contrasting bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) populations in Western Australia—one apparently viable population with high reproductive output (Shark Bay) and one with lower reproductive output that was forecast to decline (Bunbury). We assessed genetic variation in the two populations by sequencing the MHC class II DQB, which encompasses the functionally important peptide binding regions (PBR). Neutral genetic diversity was assessed by genotyping twenty‐three microsatellite loci. We confirmed that MHC is an adaptive marker in both populations. Overall, the Shark Bay population exhibited greater MHC diversity than the Bunbury population—for example, it displayed greater MHC nucleotide diversity. In contrast, the difference in microsatellite diversity between the two populations was comparatively low. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that viable populations typically display greater genetic diversity than less viable populations. The results also suggest that MHC variation is more closely associated with population viability than neutral genetic variation. Although the inferences from our findings are limited, because we only compared two populations, our results add to a growing number of studies that highlight the usefulness of MHC as a potentially suitable genetic marker for animal conservation. The Shark Bay population, which carries greater adaptive genetic diversity than the Bunbury population, is thus likely more robust to natural or human‐induced changes to the coastal ecosystem it inhabits.
Extinction dynamics under extreme conservation threat: The flora of St. Helena
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>The flora of the island of St Helena provides an amplified system for the study of extinction by reason of the island's high endemism, small size, vulnerable biota, length of time of severe disturbance (since 1502) and severity of threats. Endemic plants have been eliminated from 96.5% of St Helena by habitat loss. There are eight recorded extinctions in the vascular flora since 1771 giving an extinction rate of 581 extinctions per million species per year (E/MSY). This is considerably higher than background extinction rates, variously estimated at 1 or 0.1 E/MSY. We have no information for plant extinctions prior to 1771 but applying the same extinction rate to the period 1502 to 1771 suggests that there may be around ten unrecorded historical extinctions. We use census data and population decline estimates to project likely extinction forward in time. The projected overall extinction rate for the next 200 years is somewhat higher at 625 E/MSY. However, our data predict an extinction crunch in the next 50 years with 4 species out of the remaining 48 likely to become extinct during this period. It is interesting that during a period when the native plant areas dropped to 3.5% of the original, the extinction rate appears to have remained shallowly linear with under 30% of the endemic flora becoming extinct.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Data from: Discovery and characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms in two anadromous alosine fishes of conservation concern
Freshwater habitat alteration and marine fisheries can affect anadromous fish species, and populations fluctuating in size elicit conservation concern and coordinated management. We describe the development and characterization of two sets of 96 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assays for two species of anadromous alosine fishes, alewife and blueback herring (collectively known as river herring), that are native to the Atlantic coast of North America. We used data from high-throughput DNA sequencing to discover SNPs and then developed molecular genetic assays for genotyping sets of 96 individual loci in each species. The two sets of assays were validated with multiple populations that encompass both the geographic range and the known regional genetic stocks of both species. The SNP panels developed herein accurately resolved the genetic stock structure for alewife and blueback herring that was previously identified using microsatellites and assigned individuals to regional stock of origin with high accuracy. These genetic markers, which generate data that are easily shared and combined, will greatly facilitate ongoing conservation and management of river herring including genetic assignment of marine caught individuals to stock of origin.
Data from: Natal dispersal of tree sloths in a human-dominated landscape: implications for tropical biodiversity conservation
1. Habitat loss and fragmentation resulting from the conversion of tropical forests are among the most important threats to biodiversity globally. Habitat specialists and species with low dispersal capacity are expected to be the most sensitive to such changes. Relatively little is known, however, about how habitat change and life history interact to impact natal dispersal and population viability in tropical species. 2. Here, we characterized natal dispersal patterns, habitat selection, and survival rates in two-toed (Choloepus hoffmanni) and three-toed (Bradypus variegatus) sloths within a human-dominated tropical landscape in Costa Rica consisting of a shade-grown cacao plantation surrounded by riparian forests and cattle pastures. 3. Radio-marked individuals of both species preferentially selected tropical forests during natal dispersal and were commonly observed using riparian forest buffers for dispersal. The more specialized and sedentary three-toed sloth, however, avoided both pastures and shade-grown cacao for dispersal, whereas two-toed sloths only avoided pastures. 4. Juvenile survival was lower for three-toed than two-toed sloths, and was lowest immediately following maternal independence for both species. Despite interspecific differences, juvenile survival was high and sufficient to maintain stable populations of both species. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our results indicate that tropical forest conversion is more likely to impact the natal dispersal success of specialized and dispersal-limited species. Moreover, riparian forest buffers appear to provide critical corridors for maintaining such species, and biodiversity more broadly, in modified tropical landscapes.07-Feb-2018
Data from: The conservation genomics of the endangered distylous gypsophile Oreocarya crassipes (Boraginaceae)
The Chihuahuan Desert includes many endemic angiosperm species, some having very restricted geographic ranges. One of these species is Oreocarya crassipes (I. M. Johnst.) Hasenstab & M. G. Simpson, an endangered distylous gypsophile from the Trans-Pecos region in southern Brewster County, Texas, USA. The species is known from 10 populations, and this small number of populations, human development in the area, a distylous breeding system, and edaphic requirements threaten the long-term viability of the species. Using both hundreds of single nucleotide polymorphisms identified via tunable genotyping-by-sequencing (tGBS) and 10 microsatellite loci, patterns of genetic diversity, demography, selection, and migration were examined for 192 individuals from four populations of O. crassipes. From the sampled individuals, two populations (clusters) were identified via multiple methodologies and with both types of data. With SNP data, population substructure was further resolved among one of these populations to identify two distinct groups of individuals. Multiple individuals recognized as having mixed ancestry, along with Fst values and AMOVA results, provide evidence of genetic exchange among populations, which is less common for gypsophiles than non-gypsophiles, and the rate of migration among populations has been increasing recently. The Fst values for O. crassipes are more similar to those of other rare species than to other gypsophiles. Additionally, while distyly specifically does not necessarily impact the population genetics of the species, allogamy, which is facilitated by distyly, seems to have played a role in the genetic structure of O. crassipes.
Figure 1 in Conservation Units as a protection tool for social wasps in Minas Gerais state, Brazil
Figure 1. Geographic location of the sampled Conservation Units in the Minas Gerais state, southeastern Brazil, where social wasp inventories were carried out so far (maps at the top, Conservation Units are represented by the red points numbered from 1 to 14). The table on the right shows data of species richness and exclusive occurrence in each Conservation Unit. Aerial view of the Conservation Unit areas (satellite images 1-14). The numbers of map, table, and satellite images are corresponding.
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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.
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DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
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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.
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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.