Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Johannes H. Fischer, Heiko U. Wittmer, Caio F. Kenup, Kevin A. Parker, Rosalind Cole, Igor Debski, Graeme A. Taylor, John G. Ewen, Doug P. Armstrong
Summary: Harvesting individuals for translocations can negatively affect source populations, especially for small populations. The study developed a novel metapopulation extension model to assess the feasibility of conservation translocations for a highly mobile species. They considered factors such as philopatry and metapopulation dynamics to project the impact on both source and destination populations under different scenarios. The study highlights the importance of transparent and quantitative evaluation of translocation feasibility.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Severine Sarp, Ramona Reichenbach, Paul Aliu
Summary: Compassionate Use/Managed Access programs provide locally unapproved medicines to patients, offering insights into therapeutic use in real-world settings. Novartis has developed a guidance for data collection, which could potentially be used as supportive information in addition to clinical trial data or as the main source for regulatory submission.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
George C. Brooks, Carola A. Haas
Summary: Local extinction and undetected presence are challenging to differentiate, especially in stochastic environments. This study shows that annual variation in detection influences the monitoring efforts of breeding populations, with multiple years of monitoring required for confident determination of presence/absence. Increasing survey effort can help alleviate uncertainty in predictions, but long-term monitoring is essential for accurate assessments.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yoav Tsori, Rony Granek
Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a multi-sub-populations model was developed to study the spreading of the disease in South Carolina. It was found that the epidemic curves were highly sensitive to the location of epicenters, population density, and local restrictions. The model was validated using real-life data, showing a high resemblance between the predicted and observed infection heat-maps.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Regina Kate Warne, Anne-Lise Chaber
Summary: This study reviewed conservation translocation projects and found that the source of animals, pathogen type, host, and lack of disease risk analysis all contributed to disease transmission in translocation projects. It is recommended that future translocation projects conduct thorough disease risk analysis and establish a database for publishing protocols and outcomes.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Yue Wang, Hiroatsu Fukuda, Pengchong Zhang, Ting Wang, Guofu Yang, Weijun Gao, Yijun Lu
Summary: Urban wetlands play an important role in the urban ecological environment and can serve as refuges for endangered plants. This study identifies suitable habitats for Isoetes sinensis in urban wetlands and suggests that planting this endangered plant in urban wetlands can help protect the species. However, there are uncertainties related to successful reintroduction due to the plant's weed-like appearance, poor resistance to pesticides, and changes in urban wetland environment.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Ralph W. Tingley, Dana M. Infante, Emily M. Dean, Douglas W. Schemske, Arthur R. Cooper, Jared A. Ross, Wesley Daniel
Summary: Habitat degradation and climate change pose a greater threat to the survival of stream fishes. Reestablishment efforts and translocation to suitable areas can be effective conservation strategies. However, the lack of historical species data limits the effectiveness of reestablishments. This study presents a method that ranks stream habitat for species reestablishment using available information.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Deborah M. Leigh, Heidi E. L. Lischer, Frederic Guillaume, Christine Grossen, Torsten Gunther
Summary: Identifying local adaptation in bottlenecked species is crucial, and methods for detecting selection play an important role in species management and response to climate change. However, distinguishing selection signals from genetic drift in bottlenecked populations is challenging. This study used simulations to evaluate the accuracy of selection detection methods in Alpine ibex populations, finding high false positive rates but improved accuracy when combining multiple methods.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
M. R. Whitehead, J. L. Silcock, C. L. Simmons, L. Monks, R. Dillon, N. Reiter, M. Jusaitis, D. J. Coates, M. Byrne, P. A. Vesk
Summary: A chief tool in plant conservation is the establishment of threatened plant populations by translocating individuals grown ex-situ. Various techniques to enhance translocation performance have become established as standard, including the number of propagules planted, fencing to protect from herbivores, and stimulating recruitment. Factors influencing recruitment were uncertain, but burning and watering increased its likelihood. Translocations in grassland habitats and of perennial grasses performed worse compared to other habitats and lifeforms. Our study supports the effectiveness of a limited number of management interventions and emphasizes the need for more experimental data to improve our understanding of factors influencing success in plant translocations.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Hamish A. Burnett, Vanessa C. Bieker, Mathilde Le Moullec, Bart Peeters, Jorgen Rosvold, Ashild onvik Pedersen, Love Dalen, Leif Egil Loe, Henrik Jensen, Brage B. Hansen, Michael D. Martin
Summary: Anthropogenic reintroduction can supplement natural recolonization in reestablishing a species' distribution and abundance. However, both reintroductions and recolonizations can give rise to founder effects that reduce genetic diversity and increase inbreeding, potentially causing the accumulation of genetic load and reduced fitness.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Wei Zhu, Chunlin Zhao, Jianyi Feng, Jiang Chang, Wenbo Zhu, Liming Chang, Jiongyu Liu, Feng Xie, Cheng Li, Jianping Jiang, Tian Zhao
Summary: In this study, the effects of adding river sediments to the artificial habitats of Chinese giant salamander larvae were investigated. The presence of sediments changed the composition of oral microbiota and promoted proteolysis and immune gene transcription in the skin. The pathogen defense of captive-bred individuals was improved after treatment.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bethanne Bruninga-Socolar, Eric V. Lonsdorf, Ian G. Lane, Zachary M. Portman, Daniel P. Cariveau
Summary: Wildflower plantings are important for wild bee conservation, and plant-bee interaction data are commonly used in seed mix design and monitoring programs. However, collecting these data can be expensive and is not widely utilized. This study investigates how the conservation value of seed mixes varies as a function of data collection effort.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Luis F. Camacho, Gabriela Barragan, Santiago Espinosa
Summary: Recent research has shown that light pollution, in combination with habitat loss and fragmentation, negatively impacts insect populations. The Choc'o golden scarab beetles are scarcer in areas with reduced forest cover and are constantly attracted to urban lights, hindering their dispersal between patches. This pattern suggests that light pollution intercepts individuals during inter-patch dispersal, disrupting metapopulation dynamics and making populations in areas with scarce fragmented habitat more vulnerable.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Mark A. Ditmer, Rebecca M. Niemiec, George Wittemyer, Kevin R. Crooks
Summary: Understanding the factors that influence public conservation behaviors is crucial for effective conservation policies. This study analyzes the factors that influenced support or opposition for the restoration of gray wolves in Colorado, USA, using precinct-level data. The results demonstrate a strong relationship between support for wolf restoration and political support for the Democratic candidate in the 2020 election, as well as factors such as age, elk hunting participation, and proximity to the reintroduction region. This highlights the importance of politicization in public conservation action and the need for outreach strategies to mitigate polarization.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dandan Xu, Jeff K. Harder, Weixin Xu, Xulin Guo
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of grazing cessation and reintroduction on native vegetation communities, as well as the effective time periods for these management practices. The results showed that grazing cessation increased soil organic matter and green cover while decreasing fresh biomass, while grazing reintroduction had the opposite effect. The effective time period for prairie conservation is approximately 11-14 years, with varying effectiveness among vegetation communities and biophysical indicators.
Article
Ecology
Andrew B. Davies, Joris P. G. M. Cromsigt, Craig J. Tambling, Elizabeth le Roux, Nicholas Vaughn, Dave J. Druce, David G. Marneweck, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: The study revealed that different herbivore species respond differently to predation risk depending on the changing environmental context, indicating variability and complexity in risk effects within multi-predator/multi-prey systems.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hans Bauer, Amy Dickman, Guillaume Chapron, Alayne Oriol-Cotterill, Samantha Nicholson, Claudio Sillero-Zubiri, Luke Hunter, Peter Lindsey, David Macdonald
Summary: This study assesses the threats driving the decline of lion populations based on comparable data from 2005 and 2018. Livestock depredation and bushmeat poaching are identified as the two main threats affecting both the number of lion populations and the individuals within them. However, the specific impact of individual threats on population decline could not be determined with the available data. The study also highlights the role of armed conflicts as a driver of proximate threats.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
P. Lindsey, M. Baghai, G. Bigurube, S. Cunliffe, A. Dickman, K. Fitzgerald, M. Flyman, P. Gandiwa, B. Kumchedwa, A. Madope, M. Morjan, A. Parker, K. Steiner, P. Tumenta, K. Uiseb, A. Robson
Summary: Africa's Protected Area estate, which includes some of the world's most iconic wildlife and wildlands, is facing significant threats and degradation due to chronic funding shortages. Collaborative Management Partnerships (CMPs) between state wildlife agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have the potential to attract investment and technical capacity to improve PA performance, but they also face limitations in scaling across Africa.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Andrew B. Davies, Craig J. Tambling, David G. Marneweck, Nathan Ranc, Dave J. Druce, Joris P. G. M. Cromsigt, Elizabeth Roux, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: Contrary to previous studies suggesting strong spatial avoidance of lions by wild dogs, the primary lion-avoidance strategy of wild dogs was found to be selecting landscape features that aid in avoiding lion detection in this new study. This habitat selection by wild dogs was commonly used, especially in areas and during times of high lion-encounter risk, indicating a proactive response to lion risk. The findings suggest that spatial landscape heterogeneity could provide an alternative mechanism for carnivore coexistence, especially as shrinking carnivore ranges lead to increased contact between inferior competitors and dominant species.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Courtney J. Marneweck, O. Louis van Schalkwyk, David G. Marneweck, Grant Beverley, Harriet T. Davies-Mostert, Daniel M. Parker
Summary: The study found that the risk tolerance of mesopredators may be influenced by their reproductive state, leading to changes in space use patterns to reduce risk. Denning packs tended to avoid areas with both high risk and high reward as lion and impala density increased, while non-denning packs tended to avoid areas with low reward, especially if the risk was high. Ultimately, the study suggests that risk tolerance for mesopredators is dependent on reproductive state and should be considered as a potential mechanism for other mesopredators as well.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Paola Bouley, Antonio Paulo, Mercia Angela, Cole Du Plessis, David G. Marneweck
Summary: The reintroduction of wild dogs in Gorongosa National Park has been a success, with the founding packs showing high survival rates and successful reproduction. The study highlights the importance of pre-release preparation and natural pack formations in aiding the success of reintroductions. Various factors such as habitat avoidance, dietary partitioning, and management strategies have contributed to the successful reintroduction of wild dogs in the large, unfenced landscape of Mozambique.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
W. Andrew Taylor, Matthew F. Child, Peter A. Lindsey, Samantha K. Nicholson, Claire Relton, Harriet T. Davies-Mostert
Summary: The study evaluated the contribution of wildlife ranching in South Africa towards conservation of ungulates and elephants. Results showed that wildlife ranches had higher species richness, including more threatened and extralimital species compared to state Protected Areas. Trophy hunting ranches had similar species richness and extralimital species per hectare but fewer threatened species compared to ecotourism ranches.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Laura D. Bertola, Susan M. Miller, Vivienne L. Williams, Vincent N. Naude, Peter Coals, Simon G. Dures, Philipp Henschel, Monica Chege, Etotepe A. Sogbohossou, Arame Ndiaye, Martial Kiki, Angela Gaylard, Dennis K. Ikanda, Matthew S. Becker, Peter Lindsey
Summary: Conservation translocations are crucial for large wildlife species like the lion, but must consider genetic background to prevent homogenization. A decision-making tool is provided for 132 lion populations/conservation units, aiding managers in making informed choices. Analysis of international lion trade reveals potential risks to genetic diversity, emphasizing the importance of genetic considerations in conservation management.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ashley Robson, Morgan Trimble, Dominik Bauer, Andrew Loveridge, Paul Thomson, Guy Western, Peter Lindsey
Summary: The study found that the majority of protected areas in sub-Saharan Africa are in a state of failure or deterioration, with successful or recovering areas largely receiving external support through collaborative management partnerships. The current conservation area network in Africa is crumbling, complicating proposed strategies to protect additional land.
CONSERVATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Matt W. Hayward, Ninon F. V. Meyer, Niko Balkenhol, Chad T. Beranek, Cassandra K. Bugir, Kathleen V. Bushell, Alex Callen, Amy J. Dickman, Andrea S. Griffin, Peter M. Haswell, Lachlan G. Howell, Christopher A. Jordan, Kaya Klop-Toker, Remington J. Moll, Robert A. Montgomery, Tutilo Mudumba, Liudmila Osipova, Stephanie Periquet, Rafael Reyna-Hurtado, William J. Ripple, Lilian P. Sales, Florian J. Weise, Ryan R. Witt, Peter A. Lindsey
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Olivia Sievert, Julien Fattebert, Kelly Marnewick, Alison Leslie
Summary: This study monitored the survival and post-release movements of reintroduced cheetahs in Liwonde National Park, Malawi, and found that males traveled farther and established home ranges later than females. All female cheetahs gave birth to their first litter within 4 months of release. Within 2 years of reintroduction, the newly established population consisted of 14 cheetahs, with demographic attributes similar to those recorded in the source populations.
Article
Zoology
David G. Marneweck, Dave J. Druce, Joris P. G. M. Cromsigt, Elizabeth le Roux, Michael J. Somers
Summary: This study modeled the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the wild dog population in HiP, South Africa, and found that interspecific competition had a significant impact on population change and survival. Lions negatively affected adult and yearling survival, but pup survival was not affected. Wild dog populations in small protected areas showed high adaptability and could coexist with high levels of interspecific competition.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Timothy H. Tear, Nicholas H. Wolff, Geoffrey J. Lipsett-Moore, Mark E. Ritchie, Natasha S. Ribeiro, Lisanne S. Petracca, Peter A. Lindsey, Luke Hunter, Andrew J. Loveridge, Franziska Steinbruch
Summary: The text discusses the escalating risk of extinction for savanna-dependent species in Africa, and the substantial funding required for effective management of protected areas where these species reside. It explores the potential of carbon financing programs based on fire management to bridge the funding gap and benefit degraded savanna ecosystems. The introduction of early dry season fire management programs could potentially generate significant carbon revenues, aiding in the restoration of African savannas and conservation of imperiled keystone species.