Conservation and health of Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi)

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy L. Shima ◽  
Lee Berger ◽  
Lee F. Skerratt
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Population Status ◽  
Far North ◽  
Wild Tree ◽  
Wild Dogs ◽  
Tick Paralysis ◽  
Dendrolagus Lumholtzi ◽  
Conservation And Management

Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) is an iconic species in far north Queensland yet little is known about its health or population status. Studies on this species have been conducted in a limited number of locations and focused primarily on ecology, habitat use and home-range size. The species is relatively common in the Atherton Tablelands but habitat loss, predation by domestic, feral and wild dogs, vehicle strike, low fecundity, and disease have been identified as threats to the population. We review knowledge of population ecology and threats for this species, and include a novel collation of disease reports on all tree-kangaroos with particular reference to Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo. Health of Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo appears to be impacted by the increase in humans and domestic animals in their range. There have been reports of melioidosis, toxoplasmosis, tick paralysis and blindness in wild tree-kangaroos. We identify where increased information on health and population viability will improve conservation and management of the species.

Flexible energetics of cheetah hunting strategies provide resistance against kleptoparasitism

Science ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 346 (6205) ◽  
pp. 79-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Scantlebury ◽  
Michael G. L. Mills ◽  
Rory P. Wilson ◽  
John W. Wilson ◽  
Margaret E. J. Mills ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Viability ◽  
Energy Budgets ◽  
Hunting Strategies ◽  
Direct Competition ◽  
Daily Energy ◽  
Balancing Energy ◽  
Individual Survival ◽  
Power Outputs ◽  
Wild Dogs ◽  
Increased Activity

Population viability is driven by individual survival, which in turn depends on individuals balancing energy budgets. As carnivores may function close to maximum sustained power outputs, decreased food availability or increased activity may render some populations energetically vulnerable. Prey theft may compromise energetic budgets of mesopredators, such as cheetahs and wild dogs, which are susceptible to competition from larger carnivores. We show that daily energy expenditure (DEE) of cheetahs was similar to size-based predictions and positively related to distance traveled. Theft at 25% only requires cheetahs to hunt for an extra 1.1 hour per day, increasing DEE by just 12%. Therefore, not all mesopredators are energetically constrained by direct competition. Other factors that increase DEE, such as those that increase travel, may be more important for population viability.

scholarly journals Wild dog control impacts on calf wastage in extensive beef cattle enterprises

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee R. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Far North ◽  
South Central ◽  
Average Rainfall ◽  
Beef Producers ◽  
Poison Baiting ◽  
Wild Dog ◽  
Wild Dogs ◽  
In Pregnancy

Wild dogs (Canis lupus dingo and hybrids) are routinely controlled to protect beef cattle from predation yet beef producers are sometimes ambivalent as to whether wild dogs are a significant problem or not. This paper reports the loss of calves between birth and weaning in pregnancy-tested herds located on two beef cattle properties in south-central and far north Queensland for up to 4 consecutive years. Comparisons of lactation failures (identified when dams that previously tested pregnant were found non-lactating at weaning) were made between adjoining test herds grazed in places with or without annual (or twice annual) wild dog poison baiting programs. No correlation between wild dog relative abundance and lactation failures was apparent. Calf loss was frequently higher (three in 7 site-years, 11–32%) in baited areas than in non-baited areas (9% in 1 of 7 site-years). Predation loss of calves (in either area) only occurred in seasons of below-average rainfall, but was not related to herd nutrition. These data suggest that controlling wild dogs to protect calves on extensive beef cattle enterprises is unnecessary in most years because wild dogs do not routinely prey on calves. In those seasons when wild dog predation might occur, baiting can be counter-productive. Baiting appears to produce perturbations that change the way surviving or re-colonising wild dog populations select and handle prey and/or how they interact with livestock.

scholarly journals Wildlife Diversity and Population Status of Kashimpur Union, Gazipur, Bangladesh

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-115
Author(s):  
Nazmul Islam ◽  
M Firoj Jaman ◽  
Md Mokhlesur Rahman ◽  
Md Mahabub Alam
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
The Other ◽  
Population Status ◽  
Agricultural Lands ◽  
Conservation And Management ◽  
Near Threatened

Wildlife diversity (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) of Kashimpur Union in Gazipur Sadar Upazila under Gazipur district was studied from May, 2015 to March, 2016. A total of 110 species of wildlife belonging to 58 families under 19 orders were recorded. Among them, 6 (5.45%) species were amphibians, 14 (12.72%) reptiles, 72 (65.45%) birds and 18 (16.38%) were mammals. Among the amphibians, 5 (83.33%) species were frogs and only one (16.67%) was toad; of reptiles, 7 (50%) species were lizards, 5 (35.71%) snakes and 2 (14.29%) were tortoises. Of the birds, 39 (54.16%) species were passerines and remaining 33 (45.84%) were non-passerines. Resident status shows that 66 (91.62%) species were resident, 5 (7.00%) migrants and 1 (1.38%) species were vagrant. Among the mammals, 8 (44.45%) species were rodents, 4 (22.22%) flying mammals and 6 (33.33%) species were carnivorous mammals. The relative abundance shows that 10 (9.09%) species were very common, 24 (21.81%) common, 31 (28.19%) fairly common and 45 (40.91%) species were few. Considering the conservation status, 5 species were near threatened and 105 were the least concern nationally. According to Shannon-Wiener (H = 3.287) and Simpson's (D = 0.942) diversity indices, diversity of birds was higher than the other wildlife observed. Some potential threats on wildlife diversity were identified such as habitat degradation and fragmentation, expansion of agricultural lands and urbanization. Therefore, conservation and management are necessary in order to protect the diversity of existing wildlife and their population in the study area. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 44(2): 101-115, December 2018

Host Susceptibility to Paralysis by the Tick Dermacentor andersoni Stiles (Acarina: Ixodidae)

1958 ◽  
Vol 90 (7) ◽  
pp. 421-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Gregson
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Laboratory Animal ◽  
Domestic Animals ◽  
Host Susceptibility ◽  
Dermacentor Andersoni ◽  
Tick Paralysis

One of the objectives in the study of tick paralysis at Kamloops was to discover a species of laboratory animal that is consistently susceptible to this disease. Such an animal was needed to explore inconsistencies probably caused by differences in tick virulence or host susceptibility. Observations on infestations of adults of Dermacentor andersoni in tick paralysis areas in British Columbia, and experiments with similar ticks on large and small wild and domestic animals, have revealed the following.

scholarly journals How to save the rarest Darwin's finch from extinction: the mangrove finch on Isabela Island

2010 ◽  
Vol 365 (1543) ◽  
pp. 1019-1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Fessl ◽  
Glyn H. Young ◽  
Richard P. Young ◽  
Jorge Rodríguez-Matamoros ◽  
Michael Dvorak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Viability Analysis ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Population Status ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Island Populations ◽  
Viability Analysis ◽  
Rapid Economic Growth ◽  
Before And After

Habitat destruction and predation by invasive alien species has led to the disappearance of several island populations of Darwin's finches but to date none of the 13 recognized species have gone extinct. However, driven by rapid economic growth in the Galápagos, the effects of introduced species have accelerated and severely threatened these iconic birds. The critically endangered mangrove finch ( Camarhynchus heliobates ) is now confined to three small mangroves on Isabela Island. During 2006–2009, we assessed its population status and monitored nesting success, both before and after rat poisoning. Population size was estimated at around only 100 birds for the two main breeding sites, with possibly 5–10 birds surviving at a third mangrove. Before rat control, 54 per cent of nests during incubation phase were predated with only 18 per cent of nests producing fledglings. Post-rat control, nest predation during the incubation phase fell to 30 per cent with 37 per cent of nests producing fledglings. During the nestling phase, infestation by larvae of the introduced parasitic fly ( Philornis downsi ) caused 14 per cent additional mortality. Using population viability analysis, we simulated the probability of population persistence under various scenarios of control and showed that with effective management of these invasive species, mangrove finch populations should start to recover.

Home range and habitat use by Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) within a rainforest fragment in north Queensland

1999 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme R. Newell
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Tropical Rainforests ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Adult Tree ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Dendrolagus Lumholtzi

Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus lumholtzi), one the largest arboreal mammals in Australia, has been poorly studied owing to its limited distributional range and secretive habits within tropical rainforests. This study investigated the way D. lumholtzi used its habitat within a rainforest fragment on the Atherton Tableland, North Queensland. Thirteen animals were fitted with radio-collars to determine their spatial and temporal use of habitat. Female D. lumholtzi used exclusive home ranges averaging 0.7 ha in area (90% harmonic mean), while males occupied larger home ranges of an average of approximately 2 ha, allowing for a density of 1.4–1.5 adult tree-kangaroos per hectare within the study area. The exception to this home- range size was one juvenile male presumably undergoing post-natal dispersal that used several forest fragments and other habitats, with a home range of 332 ha. Home ranges of males overlapped in part the ranges of several females. Home ranges of males tended to abut those of other males, and antagonistic encounters occurred at the boundaries of the home ranges. Males had a significantly larger body size than females (males 8.63 kg; females 7.05 kg). Social interactions between individuals, apart from antagonistic male–male encounters, were observed infrequently. Only 6% and 2.7% of fixes for females and males, respectively, included the presence of another animal in the same or adjacent tree at the time of location. Lumholtz’s tree-kangaroos were associated with a wide range of rainforest trees and a smaller number of vine species. However, in general, individual animals regularly associated with only a small suite (mean 3.5 species with >10% usage) of tree species present within their home range, and appeared to display individual preferences for certain species. Individual radio-tracked D. lumholtzi were visible only 9.4% of the time at night, and 20% of the time during the day. Males and females were as visible as each other, and both were seen significantly lower in the canopy and into the mid-storey during the night than during the day.

scholarly journals Conservation of fishes in the Elands River, Mpumalanga, South Africa: Past, present and future

Koedoe ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon C. O’Brien ◽  
Nico J. Smit ◽  
Victor Wepener
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Population Status ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Fish Community Composition ◽  
Conservation And Management

In an isolated reach, between two large natural waterfalls in the Elands River in Mpumalanga, populations of a critically endangered Kneria sp., the endangered Chiloglanis bifurcus and a genetically unique population of Labeobarbus polylepis occur. The aim of this article was to evaluate past efforts to conserve these fishes, describe the current status and propose future conservation and management actions. The population status assessments were based on a series of fish community composition and population structure evaluations from surveys undertaken at 22 sites during seven surveys from 2002 to 2006. Although water-use activities have continued to increase in the area, impacts have been offset by conservation efforts initiated almost 30 years ago. The existing C. bifurcus population appears to be stable, which is reflected in the downgrading of the conservation status of the species from critically endangered to endangered. The abundance of the kneriid population appears to be increasing and spreading to other tributaries in the study area. The abundance of L. polylepis appears to be increasing but has still not reached historical levels.Conservation implications: Continued conservation efforts are required to protect these fishes. This case study presented a rare example of how the impacts associated with the use of aquatic resources in South Africa can successfully be offset by conservation efforts.

Identification of Maize Rayado Fino Virus by Immunoelectron Microscopy

1985 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 636-637
Author(s):  
O. E. Bradfute
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Zea Mays ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Rabbit Serum ◽  
Normal Rabbit Serum ◽  
Virus Particles ◽  
Far North ◽  
Maize Rayado Fino Virus ◽  
Antibody Coating

Maize rayado fino virus (MRFV) causes a severe disease of corn (Zea mays) in many locations throughout the neotropics and as far north as southern U.S. MRFV particles detected by direct electron microscopy of negatively stained sap from infected leaves are not necessarily distinguishable from many other small isometric viruses infecting plants (Fig. 1).Immunosorbent trapping of virus particles on antibody-coated grids and the antibody coating or decoration of trapped virus particles, was used to confirm the identification of MRFV. Antiserum to MRFV was supplied by R. Gamez (Centro de Investigacion en Biologia Celular y Molecular, Universidad de Costa Rica, Ciudad Universitaria, Costa Rica).Virus particles, appearing as a continuous lawn, were trapped on grids coated with MRFV antiserum (Fig. 2-4). In contrast, virus particles were infrequently found on grids not exposed to antiserum or grids coated with normal rabbit serum (similar to Fig. 1). In Fig. 3, the appearance of the virus particles (isometric morphology, 30 nm diameter, stain penetration of some particles, and morphological subunits in other particles) is characteristic of negatively stained MRFV particles. Decoration or coating of these particles with MRFV antiserum confirms their identification as MRFV (Fig. 4).

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