scholarly journals Comment on “Individual heterozygosity predicts translocation success in threatened desert tortoises”

Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 372 (6546) ◽  
pp. eabh1105
Author(s):  
Bengt Hansson ◽  
Hernán E. Morales ◽  
Cock van Oosterhout
Keyword(s):  
Decision Rule ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Genetic Load ◽  
Conservation Genomics

Scott et al. (Reports, 27 November 2020, p. 1086) bring much-needed attention to species conservation by demonstrating heterozygote superiority among translocated tortoises. However, we believe that their recommended heterozygosity decision rule risks taking conservation genomics backward. We argue that their advice could misguide conservation management aimed at establishing viable populations, and that it can be improved by also assessing the genetic load.

Archival DNA reveals cryptic biodiversity within the Spotted Shag (Phalacrocorax punctatus) from New Zealand

The Condor ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas J Rawlence ◽  
Matt J Rayner ◽  
Tim G Lovegrove ◽  
Debbie Stoddart ◽  
Melanie Vermeulen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Genetic Data ◽  
Mitochondrial Control Region ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Management Guidelines ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Cryptic Biodiversity ◽  
Archival Dna

Abstract Genetic data are increasingly being used to prioritize species conservation in a fiscally constrained age of seemingly boundless conservation crises. Such data can also reveal previously cryptic biodiversity requiring further revision of conservation management guidelines. Using a combination of mitochondrial (control region) and nuclear (beta fibrinogen intron 7) DNA, and morphology, we reveal that the endemic New Zealand Spotted Shag (Phalacrocorax punctatus) complex exhibits phylogenetic structure that is decoupled from previously recorded qualitative morphological variation. Crucially, the most genetically distinct populations within P. punctatus are from northern New Zealand; recent surveys show that these populations, which house important genetic diversity within Spotted Shags, are in danger of being extirpated. In contrast, we find the previously phenotypically differentiated nominate (P. punctatus punctatus) and Blue (P. punctatus oliveri) Shag subspecies show no genetic and morphological separation, and are of least conservation concern.

scholarly journals First records of the flat-headed cat Prionailurus planiceps on the Kampar Peninsula, Sumatra, Indonesia

Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Chela Powell ◽  
Muhammad Iqbal
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Management ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Ecosystem Restoration ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Habitat Requirements ◽  
Population Status ◽  
Swamp Forest ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Peat Swamp Forest ◽  
Peat Swamp

Abstract The flat-headed cat Prionailurus planiceps is one of the rarest small felids, with little known about its distribution, population status or habitat requirements, largely because of the few records of the species. We report here 11 detections of this Endangered species, recorded during 4 years of camera-trap surveys in a peat-swamp forest on the Kampar Peninsula, Riau province, Sumatra. These are the first records of this species on the Kampar Peninsula, in an area of c. 1,300 km2 of peat-swamp forest comprising four adjacent Ecosystem Restoration Concession licences. All records were near water bodies (mean distance 351 m) in lowland peat-swamp forest. These findings add to the existing knowledge of the species' distribution in Sumatra and confirm its presence in these peat-swamp forests. To inform species conservation management planning for the Kampar Peninsula, further research on this species is required.

scholarly journals The costs of single species programmes and the budget constraint

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Emma Moran ◽  
Ross Cullen ◽  
Kenneth F. D. Hughey
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Annual Cost ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Budget Constraint ◽  
Total Cost ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Threatened Status

Despite the scarcity of funding for species conservation programmes, estimation of the cost of threatened species programmes occurs in only a few countries. This paper examines the reasons for the lack of species programme cost estimates and the likely impacts of this on conservation management. We report methodology used to estimate cost for eleven New Zealand species programmes and their estimated costs over a ten year period. Differences between species in the costs of the programmes and the breakdown of the costs are highlighted. The estimated costs are compared with expected levels of expenditure on each species to illustrate the existence of a budget constraint for threatened species. The likely effects of cost of species conservation exceeding expenditures on species conservation are examined. Annual cost data is used together with information on rate of conservation progress to estimate time and total cost for each species to reach Not Threatened status.

scholarly journals Varied success from the landscape-scale management of kiwi Apteryx spp. in five sanctuaries in New Zealand

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 429-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
HUGH A. ROBERTSON ◽  
PIM J. M. de MONCHY
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Landscape Scale ◽  
Population Modelling ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Operating Budget ◽  
Mammalian Predators ◽  
Forest Conditions

SummaryIn late 2000, five sanctuaries were established on the mainland of New Zealand for the express purpose of protecting populations of five kiwi Apteryx spp. taxa belonging to three species. Conservation management was undertaken at a landscape scale (10,000–20,000 ha) in each sanctuary to improve recruitment of kiwi. This was done by controlling introduced mammalian predators (especially stoats Mustela erminea), and/or by removing eggs and chicks from predation risk, and returning subadults when they were big enough to cope with stoats. Population modelling of the first five years of the sanctuary programme indicated that kiwi numbers in all five sanctuaries would increase as a result of the management. Calculated population increases varied from 0.6% per year at Okarito to 11.3% per year at Moehau, even though predator trapping was more intense at Okarito. The variation from site to site was explained by the widely different inherent productivity of the various kiwi taxa; widely different rates of adult mortality due to the presence or absence of dogs Canis familiaris and ferrets M. furo, the main predators of long-lived adult kiwi; and, local forest conditions affecting predator-prey cycles, and the density of stoats. As a result of this analysis, the management in four of the five sanctuaries has since been modified to try to achieve better overall gains for kiwi within the same operating budget.

scholarly journals Expanding the conservation genomics toolbox: incorporating structural variants to enhance functional studies for species of conservation concern

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Wold ◽  
Stephanie Galla ◽  
David Eccles ◽  
Carolyn J. Hogg ◽  
Klaus-Peter Koepfli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Regulation Of Gene Expression ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Structural Variants ◽  
Conservation Genomics ◽  
Genomic Context ◽  
Snp Data

Increased capability in the conservation genomics community, combined with decreased sequencing costs, is providing new opportunities for the application of whole-genome sequence data to enhance species recovery. Indeed, assessments of genome-wide diversity based on SNP data are already informing the conservation management of threatened species around the world. However, SNP data alone may not sufficiently capture all of the information necessary for the effective conservation management of critically endangered species that suffer from severe inbreeding depression. For threatened species that require significant intervention, it is critical that we as conservation genomicists expand our repertoire to include assessments of functional diversity. Structural variants are a likely source of functional diversity, as their frequency and genomic context affect the dosage and regulation of gene expression through mechanisms that alter genome organization and impact fitness. In this future-focused Opinion, we leverage the existing literature - predominantly focused on model and agricultural species - to identify pan-genomic and chromosomic approaches for readily characterizing structural variants and to consider how integrating these into the conservation genomics toolbox will transform the way we manage some of the world’s most threatened species.

scholarly journals Deciphering the Taxonomic Delimitation of Ottelia acuminata (Hydrocharitaceae) Using Complete Plastomes as Super-Barcodes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunheng Ji ◽  
Jin Yang ◽  
Jacob B. Landis ◽  
Shuying Wang ◽  
Zhenyan Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Delimitation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Phylogenetic Inference ◽  
Independent Sequence ◽  
Varietal Identification ◽  
Effective Conservation ◽  
Conservation And Management

Accurate species delimitation and identification, which is a challenging task in traditional morphology-based taxonomy, is crucial to species conservation. Ottelia acuminata (Hydrocharitaceae) is a severely threatened submerged macrophyte endemic to southwestern China. The taxonomy of O. acuminata, which has long been in dispute, remains unresolved, impeding effective conservation and management practices. Here, we aim to address the long-standing issues concerning species boundary and intraspecific subdivision of O. acuminata using complete plastome sequences as super-barcodes. The taxonomic delimitation of O. acuminata was explored using phylogenetic inference and two independent sequence-based species delimitation schemes: automatic barcode gap discovery (ABGD) and multi-rate Poisson tree processes (mPTP). The reciprocally reinforcing results support the reduction of the closely related congeneric species, O. balansae and O. guanyangensis, as two conspecific varieties of O. acuminata. Within the newly defined O. acuminata, accurate varietal identification can be achieved using plastome super-barcodes. These findings will help inform future decisions regarding conservation, management and restoration of O. acuminata. This case study suggests that the use of plastome super-barcodes can provide a solution for species delimitation and identification in taxonomically difficult plant taxa, thus providing great potential to lessen the challenges of inventorying biodiversity, as well as biologically monitoring and assessing threatened species.

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