Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Captive Conservation'
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Tomlinson, Cynthia Ellen. "Conservation genetics of captive waldrapp ibis." Thesis, University of Kent, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.309748.
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Michaels, Christopher. "Evidence based ex situ husbandry for captive amphibians." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2015. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/evidence-based-ex-situ-husbandry-for-captive-amphibians(54a41c4e-a6cb-471c-8c16-ef012f61cd35).html.
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Amphibians are declining worldwide in response to pressures that are too numerous, difficult and rapid to ameliorate in the wild before some taxa become extinct. Ex situ conservation, whereby animals are maintained in captivity until threats in the wild have been resolved, is the only means of saving up to five hundred amphibian species. Amongst political, financial and practical hurdles, the most fundamental problem for these programmes is lack of knowledge about how to maintain species successfully in captivity. Captive populations have failed to survive or reproduce and, furthermore, captive husbandry may produce animals unsuitable for reintroduction through intra or inter-generational changes. These problems entirely undermine initiatives and if ex situ programs are to succeed, evidence based captive husbandry is needed to support captive breeding programs. In this thesis, I quantify our ignorance of amphibian requirements in captivity. Furthermore, I present investigations into fundamental areas ofamphibian husbandry, about which we currently know very little. I investigate the relationship between amphibians and Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation and examine the relationship between UVB provision and calcium provision and evaluate routes of dietary calcium supplementation. I also present data on the effects of enrichment and rearing environment on the growth, fitness, behaviour and dermal bacterial communities of captive amphibians. These results, from a range of areas of amphibian husbandry, together demonstrate the power of the captive environment to influence the phenotype and therefore the fitness of amphibians, even within single generations. Additionally, I provide some of the first data addressing key areas of amphibian husbandry that until now have been led mostly or entirely by anecdote and hearsay.
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Bastos, Silveira Cristiane Mary Oliveira. "Morphological and molecular approaches to the conservation of captive antelopes." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.404403.
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Fontes, Sónia Alexandra de Jesus. "Reproductive management in captive elephants." Master's thesis, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/14044.
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Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina VeterináriaElephants have been widely used by Humans for several centuries: for meat, as warriors through several kingdoms, for their heavy work power, for public entertainment, and for their unique tusks, leading them to be poached for the ivory trade. Nowadays we face the reality of a decreasing number of elephants in most of their range countries, leading them to be considered endangered (Asian) or vulnerable (African) to extinction. Being charismatic mega-vertebrates, made them one of the most desired wildlife to keep and show in zoological collections. Interdiction to the importation of wildlife was an important step, but with no more importation of individuals from the wild, the need to preserve the captive population became mandatory, and the zoological institutions make great efforts to maintain these animals in their collection and extend the conservation of these species. The inability to produce sufficient captive offspring and the continuous declining number in their natural habitat has urged research on elephant reproduction physiology. Asian and African elephants reproduce well in the wild but due to historically poor reproductive performance under human care, most captive populations face the possibility of local extinction. Besides logistical issues, elephant breeding in captivity faces management problems due to diseases, like ovarian and uterine pathologies and bull infertility. Therefore, it is important to understand the anatomy, physiology and all associated pathologies which can lead to reproduction failure, and for the future management of captive elephant populations is fundamental to ensure that professional decisions are made. Recent advances in endocrine monitoring and ultrasound imaging techniques allow researchers to understand the complex mechanisms that control reproduction in elephants, unique in several features. In this thesis, I reviewed all relevant studies from 2000 to nowadays, with special emphasis to the African elephant. Reproductive breeding management considerations to the captive population of the Lisbon Zoo were derived. Finally, four clinical cases in elephant reproduction that were followed and assisted by the author are analysed and discussed.
RESUMO - Maneio reprodutivo de elefantes em cativeiro - Por muitos séculos, os elefantes têm sido utilizados pelo Homem: como produto de caça, soldados de guerra de diversos reinos, pela sua capacidade de trabalho pesado e pelas suas presas, levando a que sejam abatidos para o mercado de marfim. Atualmente, na maior parte da sua distribuição, o número de elefantes continua a decrescer o que levou à sua corrente classificação em “Vulnerável” (Africano) e em “Ameaça de Extinção” (Asiático). Devido ao carisma destes mega vertebrados, os elefantes são um dos mais desejados animais para manter e exibir em Zoos. A interdição à importação de mais indivíduos do meio selvagem foi um passo importante para a conservação destas espécies, mas tornou a manutenção das populações cativas existentes uma prioridade e grandes esforços foram tomados pelas instituições de cativeiro. Um ponto fulcral tem sido o estudo da fisiologia reprodutiva dos elefantes, para que seja atingido um número de descendentes suficientes para manter estas populações. Tanto os elefantes asiáticos (Elephas maximus) como os elefantes africanos (Loxodonta africana) conseguem reproduzir-se com sucesso no meio selvagem mas, devido a uma história de baixa performance reprodutiva sob cuidados humanos, muitas das populações cativas correm o risco de extinção local. Para além de problemas logísticos, a reprodução de elefantes em cativeiro debate-se com questões de maneio devido a enfermidades, como patologias ováricas e uterinas e infertilidade no macho. Compreender e tornar disponível as novas descobertas no ramo da anatomia, fisiologia e as mais comuns patologias associadas a falha reprodutiva tornou-se então uma prioridade para garantir que decisões ponderadas possam ser tomadas no maneio de elefantes cativos. Avanços recentes em monitorização hormonal e em técnicas de ultrasom permitiu aos investigadores perceber os mecanismos complexos que controlam a reprodução nos elefantes, que apresentam variadas características únicas. Posto isso, nesta tese, foram recolhidos e compilados todos os resultados relevantes publicados desde o ano 2000, com especial ênfase em dados relativos ao elefante africano. Considerações sobre o maneio reprodutivo da população de elefantes Africanos existente no Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa são também abordadas. Por fim, quatro casos clínicos, auxiliados e seguidos pelo autor são analisados e debatidos.
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Michel, Eric S. "Effect of dominance in captive female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)." Thesis, Mississippi State University, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1536084.
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Factors associated with rank position are poorly understood whereas even fewer studies assessed if benefits were associated with increased rank position when resources were unlimited. I assessed whether age, body mass, size, and testosterone levels were important in rank establishment among 132 captive female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus. I also assessed if the benefit metrics of improved body condition, decreased stress level, and earlier parturition date were related to rank position. Deer in each of 9 study pens had a linear hierarchy with a mean h' of 0.39 (SD = 0.09). Rank position was moderately related to age (P < 0.1) and was strongly related to body mass and size (P < 0.01). There was no relationship between benefit metrics and rank position (P < 0.1). Although increased body mass, size, and age improved rank position there were no benefits associated with increased rank when resources were unlimited.
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Vaughn, Erin, and Erin Vaughn. "Conservation Genetics and Epigenetics of Pronghorn, Antilocapra americana." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/621289.
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Genetic analyses of increasing power are now regularly incorporated into wildlife management assessments of threatened and endangered species. Genetic data provide valuable information regarding taxonomy, kinship, and population size and structure. Recently transformed by the advent of powerful technologies that expand our view from single genes to the entire genome, the field of conservation may be on the verge of another revolution with the emergence of epigenetics as a promising means of surveying environmental response in natural populations. In this dissertation, I present my doctoral research upon population genetics and epigenetics of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). Considerable effort has been undertaken to conserve pronghorn, particularly in the periphery of its range in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Translocation is regularly used to supplement and re-establish populations of the wide-ranging A. a. americana subspecies while captive breeding has been established for two endangered pronghorn subspecies, A. a. sonoriensis found in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico and A. a. peninsularis of the Baja Peninsula. The primary goal of my doctoral work was to provide pronghorn managers with current estimates of genetic diversity, relatedness, and structure within and between pronghorn subspecies in the desert southwest. My work shows that conservation measures for A. a. sonoriensis have successfully maintained genetic diversity within this endangered subspecies. My estimates of population structure within A. a. americana in northern Arizona reveal the influence of translocation and habitat fragmentation and demonstrate the successful reestablishment of gene flow following the removal of highway fences. With the purpose of guiding future release of captive pronghorn, I explored the subspecies status of pronghorn extirpated from a portion of their range in southern California and northern Baja California. My analyses of museum specimens indicate that the historical range of A. a. peninsularis may have extended as far north as the international border while specimens collected just north of the border share more genetic identity with A. a. sonoriensis. To follow my interests in epigenetics, I also conducted the first ever conservation epigenetics study with Arizona pronghorn. I found that pronghorn are more epigenetically than genetically diverse and this is an indicator that further epigenetic study will reveal the signature of response to environmental factors, as it has with other species demonstrating this pattern.
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Gartner, Marieke Cassia. "Personality and well-being in felids : assessment and applications to captive management and conservation." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/9755.
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Research in animal personality has been increasing over the last decade, as scientists realise its importance to a variety of health outcomes. In particular, personality has been shown to have an effect on immune function, stress, infant survival, overall well-being, morbidity, and mortality. Because of this, personality can play an important role in captive management, especially as stress is often a problem for captive animals. Research has already shown that personality affects captive breeding efforts, enclosure grouping, and stress regulation in some species. Only a few studies have focused on felids, but these have shown that there are possible applications for personality in that taxon. Because most felids are endangered, and because many of them face special challenges in captivity due to their size and biology, this work aimed to increase knowledge on felids, using personality as a framework, with implications for captive management as a target. Focusing on five species, I assessed the personality of domestic cats, Scottish wildcats, clouded and snow leopards, and African lions, and the well-being of the four latter species. With the exception of the domestic cat, there has been little to no personality work in these species, and none on well-being. I then compared the data within and among these species. I found three main personality factors among the species, including dimensions I labelled Neuroticism, Dominance, and Impulsiveness, with some differences, including an Agreeableness factor in some species, and elements of Openness. As in other species, well-being was negatively related to Neuroticism in most of the study species. Taking into consideration each species’ biology, natural history, and genetics, I discuss the implications and importance of using these species’ personality and well-being assessments in both captive management and conservation efforts. The results indicate that, like in humans, a targeted, individual approach to care is the best use of personality for captive animals.
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Fontseré, Alemany Clàudia 1992. "Genomic analysis of wild and captive chimpanzee populations from non-invasive samples using target capture methods." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/670317.
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Wild chimpanzee populations are considered to be under threat of extinction due to the damaging consequences of human impact into their natural habitat and illegal trade. Conservation genomics is an emerging field that has the potential to guide conservation efforts not only in the wild (in situ) but also outside their natural range (ex situ). In this thesis, we have explored to which extent target capture methods on specific genomic regions can provide insights into chimpanzee genetic diversity in captive and wild populations. Specifically, we have characterized the ancestry and inbreeding of 136 European captive chimpanzees to aid their management in captivity and inferred the origin of 31 confiscated individuals from illegal trade by sequencing ancestry informative SNPs. Also, we have examined molecular strategies to maximize the library complexity in target capture methods from fecal samples so they can be applied in large-scale genomic studies. Finally, we have captured the chromosome 21 from 828 fecal samples collected across the entire extant chimpanzee range. As a result of our high density sampling scheme, we have found strong evidence of population stratification in chimpanzee populations and we have discovered new local genetic diversity that is linked to its geographic origin. Finally, with this newly generated dataset and fine-grained geogenetic map, we have implemented a strategy for the geolocalization of chimpanzees which has a direct conservation applicationLes poblacions salvatges de ximpanzés estan en perill d'extinció a causa de les dramàtiques conseqüències associades a l’impacte humà en el seu hàbitat natural i al tràfic il·legal. La genòmica de la conservació és un camp emergent que té el potencial de guiar esforços de conservació d’espècies en perill d’extinció no només en el seu hàbitat natural (in situ) sinó també en captivitat (ex situ). En aquesta tesi, hem analitzat fins a quin punt els mètodes de captura de regions específiques del genoma són una bona eina per explorar la diversitat genètica dels ximpanzés tant en poblacions captives com salvatges. Concretament, hem caracteritzat la subespècie i els nivells de consanguinitat de 136 ximpanzés de zoos europeus amb l'objectiu de guiar-ne la seva gestió en captivitat, i hem inferit l'origen de 31 individus confiscats del tràfic il·legal a través de la seqüenciació de SNPs informatius de llinatge. També hem posat en pràctica estratègies moleculars per maximitzat la complexitat de les llibreries en la captura de regions específiques a partir de mostres fecals i així poder ser aplicades en estudis genòmics a gran escala. Finalment, hem capturat el cromosoma 21 de 828 mostres fecals recollides per tota la distribució geogràfica dels ximpanzé. Arran de l’alta densitat de mostreig, hem trobat evidències que apunten a una alta estratificació poblacional en els ximpanzés i hem desxifrat nova diversitat genètica vinculada a l’origen geogràfic dels individus. Finalment, amb el conjunt de dades generat i el mapa geogenètic obtingut, hem implementat una estratègia per la geolocalització de ximpanzés amb aplicació directe per a la conservació.
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Jule, Kristen. "Effects of captivity and implications for ex-situ conservation : with special reference to red panda (Ailurus fulgens)." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/65554.
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This PhD thesis aims to improve the ex situ conservation of threatened and endangered species by investigating the effects of captivity and improving the methodology of current conservation techniques. The use of reintroduction as a tool for the purpose of conserving species is becoming increasingly popular. Since many wild populations are declining, captive-bred stock are frequently used to restore or supplement wild populations. Evidence suggests that captive-bred animals are less successful than their wild counterparts, but this has not been recently reviewed and there is limited research into investigating what aspects of captivity may be affecting success. Here, I conduct a review of carnivore reintroductions for projects carried out post 1990, which shows that captive-born animals are less likely to survive a release into the wild than their translocated wild-caught counterparts. A case study species, the endangered red panda (Ailurus fulgens), is used to investigate how a species involved in captive breeding for conservation responds to life in captivity. Results from analyses of lifetime reproductive success (and related variables) showed that both adaptation to captivity and inbreeding depression are occurring in the global captive red panda population. An investigation into behavioural adaptation to captivity was less revealing, although only generations three to seven from the wild were observed. The effects of captive environment and husbandry regime were also investigated and revealed that the size of the useable area and amount of human contact were among the factors influencing the behaviours of red pandas. How these findings contribute to a greater understanding of effects of captivity is discussed. The use of selection criteria based on temperament was also investigated in order to improve the likelihood of survivorship upon release into the wild. This method needs to be tested in practice, but based on the selection criteria used, there was evidence that unsuitability for release was positively predicted by generation time in captivity. Implications for the future use of captive red pandas in efforts to conserve the species in the wild are discussed, as well as how these findings can be utilised for other species involved in conservation efforts.
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Jones, Andrew Treymane. "The Influence of Population Structure on Genetic Variation in Captive Bred Species." University of Akron / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1412613307.
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Poon, Yee Jane, and 潘以靖. "Are captive cetaceans an aid to conservation?: a study of Ocean Park's role as a conservationeducator." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2004. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31255978.
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Ash, Amanda. "Parasites of the African painted dog (Lycaon pictus) in captive and wild populations: Implications for conservation." Thesis, Ash, Amanda ORCID: 0000-0001-8218-7048 (2011) Parasites of the African painted dog (Lycaon pictus) in captive and wild populations: Implications for conservation. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2011. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/10519/.
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The African painted dog (Lycaon pictus) is a highly endangered carnivore of sub- Saharan Africa, which in the last century has suffered a population decline of almost 99%. With only 3,000-5,500 animals remaining in the wild it is imperative to understand all threatening processes to which these animals may be exposed. The impact that parasites and other infectious agents have on wildlife has been increasingly recognized within conservation programs. Stressors such as human encroachment and habitat destruction are altering the incidence and effect that these pathogens have on wildlife populations, especially those endangered and under stress.
A parasitological study was conducted on captive and wild populations of the African painted dog over a three year period. Collaborations with three captive animal facilities and three in situ conservation groups within Africa allowed for a broad sample base from which variation in parasite prevalence and diversity could be identified. A combination of traditional microscopy techniques and molecular characterisation of parasite species were employed to obtain comprehensive data on the prevalence and diversity of gastrointestinal parasites observed in faecal samples collected from painted dogs.
Parasite prevalence within wild populations was 99% with a similar parasite community composition observed among all three wild populations. Five of the seven parasite genera observed in this study have not been reported before in this host. Additionally, molecular characterisations identified the potentially zoonotic species Giardia duodenalis, Ancylostoma braziliense and an ambiguous species of taeniid, all of which have also not been previously reported in this host.
The prevalence of parasites within captive populations was 15% with Giardia duodenalis being the dominant of the only two parasite species observed. The overall lack of prevalence and diversity of parasites observed in captive populations could be of significance for facilities involved in reintroduction programs. Particularly as immunologically naïve captive animals may be unable to cope with exposure to a ‘natural’ parasite load in the wild environment, leading to an ultimate decrease in reintroduction success.
Gastrointestinal parasites detected in faecal samples from wild and captive populations of the African painted dog during this study
Parasite Taxon observed
Wild Captive
Taeniid Giardia
Ancylostoma Spirometra
Spirometra
Giardia
Coccidia
Sarcocystis
Filaroides
This study has obtained detailed baseline data of parasitism within populations of the African painted dog in captive and wild environments. The large proportion of new discoveries in this study demonstrates the paucity of information currently available on parasitism within this host species. It is hoped this information will assist in conservation efforts by a) recognising the challenges of parasite control in captive populations, particularly those involved in reintroduction and/or translocation programs, and b) being able to identify deviations from baseline parasite levels in wild populations which could be indications for emerging exotic and/or zoonotic disease.
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McGreevy, Thomas Joseph. "Conservation genetics of Association of Zoos and Aquariums and wild Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus Matschiei) from Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea /." View online ; access limited to URI, 2009. http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/dissertations/AAI3368001.
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Pitsko, Leigh Elizabeth. "Wild Tigers in Captivity: A Study of the Effects of the Captive Environment on Tiger Behavior." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32620.
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Humans maintain wild animals in zoological parks for the purposes of education,conservation, research, and recreation. However, abnormal behaviors may develop in animals housed in human-made environments, if those environments do not allow them to carry out their natural behaviors (such as swimming, climbing, stalking, and predation). Captive environments in zoological parks often do not provide for natural behaviors due to spatial constraints and negative public reaction. Tigers (Panthera tigris) present a difficult case; they have large home ranges in the wild and natural predatory hunting behaviors that are difficult to provide for in captivity.
As the numbers of wild tigers decline, captive breeding programs have become a major focus of the zoo community, which magnifies the importance of research on tiger husbandry. A body of research exists on small felids, but little, if any, has focused on tigers. This thesis presents an analysis of the effects of the captive environment on the behaviors of 18 captive Bengal and Siberian tigers in four zoological parks in Virginia and Pennsylvania. Certain animal characteristics (such as subspecies, and age) were also related to behavior. Several characteristics of the captive environment had statistically significant effects on stereotypic and exploratory behaviors of tigers: shade availability, the presence of a body of water, cage size, the presence of a conspecific, vegetation, environmental enrichment, and substrate type. There were significant differences in the behaviors of the two subspecies studied, but the reason for the differences are unclear.
The results of this study showed clearly that tigers kept in more natural and complex enclosures performed less stereotypic pacing (unnatural behavior), and more exploratory (natural) behaviors than those housed in less natural enclosures. Reducing the stress level in captive tigers will enhance the animalsâ overall physical and psychological well being, which will in turn increase the success of captive breeding programs. These results suggest that captive tigers should be housed in large enclosures containing natural substrate and vegetation, water pools, ample shade, a variety of resting locations, and a variety of enrichment items.Master of Science
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Young, Hywel Glyn. "Predicting the ecology of Madagascar's endemic dabbling ducks using captive populations and related taxa : implications for conservation." Thesis, University of Kent, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.274346.
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Lette, Emily D. "Modernising Conservation Through Technology: A metabolomic investigation of a critically endangered freshwater crayfish." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2020. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2371.
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BACKGROUND: The Anthropocene has seen extinction rates orders of magnitude higher than the background rate; a trend that has been seen in all ecosystems. As a result of human activities, freshwater resources, and many of the species dependent on them have become imperilled. Freshwater crayfish are a dominant aquatic invertebrate due to their significant biomass, and they are globally distributed, highly speciose, and ecologically important. They have been referred to, inter alia, as bioindicators, keystone species, ecosystem engineers, and umbrella species and are also a valuable human food source. However, currently one-third of freshwater crayfish species worldwide are classified as threatened under IUCN criteria, with many species facing possible extinction.
Cherax tenuimanus (hairy marron) is a critically endangered freshwater crayfish found only in a single river in the biodiversity hotspot of south-west Australia. Conservation efforts for this species have included a captive breeding program, which has been largely unsuccessful despite the successful breeding of sister taxon Cherax cainii (smooth marron) for aquaculture. Currently captive breeding, including aquaculture of crayfish, relies primarily upon traditional methods of investigating the impacts of environmental factors through gross trial and error, with little understanding of the physiological state of animals. This study tested the hypothesis that metabolomics could highlight potential biomarkers related to reproduction and stress in two congeneric freshwater crayfish, Cherax tenuimanus and Cherax cainii, for the purpose of providing information to assist with captive breeding.
HYPOTHESIS TESTING: In order to test this hypothesis, four sub-hypotheses were tested in this study. Sub-hypothesis I: C. tenuimanus can be induced to breed in aquaria. This hypothesis was supported, as mating occurred in both species of marron. Timing of reproductive behaviours was later in C. tenuimanus and fecundity was lower than C. cainii. Breeding behaviours were documented in detail. Sub-hypothesis II: The reproductive hormone methyl farnesoate (MF) can be measured in marron haemolymph as a non-lethal, low stress tool to monitor reproduction (i.e. as a targeted metabolomic approach). This hypothesis could not be confirmed or rejected, because MF was not detected using two extraction methods. Sub-hypothesis III: Untargeted metabolomics using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) detects differences in the metabolome between species and sexes of marron. The profiles of C. tenuimanus and C. cainii were significantly different, as were the profiles between the sexes of each species.
Sub-hypothesis IV: Untargeted metabolomics using LC-MS detects differential responses in C. tenuimanus females and males in breeding pairs. The metabolite profiles supported this subhypothesis, where three patterns were identified by the behaviour of the metabolites. Metabolites either indicated a response to disturbance (change) where the response was transient or nontransient; differences between sexes where the differences remained unchanged whether the animals were housed on their own or with a potential mate; or a male response to female presence. Metabolites such as inosine, glutathione and arginine were recognised as potentially useful biomarkers.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that metabolomics are useful in providing an informative profile and identifying biomarkers that have the potential to assist with the captive breeding of freshwater crayfish. Whilst a single metabolite (MF) could not be directly targeted in this study, an untargeted approach was successful, and by extension the overall hypothesis of this study was successful. Overall, 107 metabolites were detected in marron haemolymph: amino acids, lipids, nucleotides, and other compounds were successfully linked to biologically important processes in the marron life cycle. The metabolites identified by this approach showed differences between two congeneric species, between sexes and over time in response to an environmental stressor. The study highlighted potential biomarkers for targeted metabolomic studies that can be used to test a wide variety of hypotheses, especially when animals are kept in controlled conditions such as in this study. The investigations from this study also contribute to our understanding of the life history of C. tenuimanus, our knowledge of its reproductive biology and the differences with its sister species C. cainii, providing another piece to the conservation puzzle. These methods will be beneficial to species conservationists and aquaculturists alike.
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Paull, David James. "The conservation role of captive breeding : a case study of rare and threatened animals indigenous to South Australia /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1985. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09AR/09arp3292.pdf.
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Sripiboon, S. "Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus Infection in Captive Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in Thailand: Implications for Conservation and Health Management." Thesis, Sripiboon, S. (2017) Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus Infection in Captive Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus) in Thailand: Implications for Conservation and Health Management. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2017. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/36692/.
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Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) infection is of conservation concern to endangered Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), causing severe, acute, often fatal haemorrhagic disease in young elephants. This thesis investigates the epidemiological status of clinical and subclinical EEHV infection in Thailand, through a retrospective, a cross-sectional, and a longitudinal study in captive elephants. Novel diagnostic tools were developed and recommendations discussed, with a particular focus on practical recommendations to manage EEHV infection in Thailand, where logistical and management constraints can hamper disease diagnosis and timely treatment.
The retrospective study revealed at least 18 EEHV clinical cases in Thailand (2006–2014), with only two cases surviving following intensive treatment. Viral samples from each case were not identical based on multiple gene analysis; suggesting the disease is likely to be sporadic. The findings also suggest that EEHV1A and EEHV1B are likely endogenous pathogens in Asian elephants.
A novel SYBR green I-based real-time PCR assay was developed to identify subclinical infection, diagnose early infection, and monitor disease progression. This technique provided sufficient data, with appropriate detection limits to differentiate at least three types of EEHV (EEHV1A, 1B, and 4). Applying this technology to the cross-sectional study, conducted between 2013–2015, revealed a 5.5% prevalence of asymptomatic EEHV1 infection during this study period in captive Asian elephants in Thailand. Cross-sectional analysis did not find an association between EEHV infection and sex, location, or contact history with other EEHV-positive elephants; however, EEHV was more likely to be detected in juveniles than other age classes (OR = 4.46; 95%CI: 1.60–12.45; p = 0.05).
The study also monitored EEHV shedding patterns longitudinally in an EEHV-positive herd. Frequency of EEHV detection varied within and between individuals, but was significantly higher in elephants which had survived previous clinical EEHV infection (OR = 4.85; 95%CI: 0.88–26.74; p = 0.05). Concurrent monitoring of faecal corticosterone metabolites demonstrated that EEHV activated and reactivated spontaneously and shed sporadically, despite lack of obvious stress.
This thesis describes the first intensive EEHV study in an Asian elephant range country. The thesis assesses the novel real-time PCR protocol and current diagnostic tools, and recommends practical management and disease preparedness strategies to minimise the impacts of EEHV on wild and captive populations, both locally and internationally.
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Webber, Catherine Elizabeth. "A comparison of behavioural development of elephant calves in captivity and in the wild : implications for welfare." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/27503.
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Compromised welfare and wellbeing of elephants (Loxodonta africana and Elephas maximus) in captive facilities are significant and global problems. The period between birth and two years old is crucial for calf survival and social and environmental learning. Behaviour and developmental processes among captive elephant calves in these first years were compared with those seen in wild calves. Wild elephants calves develop within a complex, varied social context and provide one reference for normal patterns of development. Such comparisons enable insights into welfare at captive facilities. Eleven captive elephant calves born at three UK facilities were studied from birth to 18 months (AsianN=6; AfricanN=5). Older calves (AsianN=2; AfricanN=2) were also sampled up to 3.5 years; making a total of 15 calves studied from 2009 to 2014. Due to the small sample size, the 11 younger calves were also discussed as individual case studies. By 2017, only two of these case study calves were both alive and not orphaned. Three additional calves (AsianN=1; AfricanN=2) died on their day of birth and were not sampled. This small sample highlights the ongoing lack of self-sustaining populations of captive elephants. This thesis collated systematic behavioural observations on captive calves across 373 days (483.5hrs). Calf maintenance activities (feeding, resting, moving), associations with mother and others, interactions and calf play were compared with behavioural observations of wild AsianN=101 (74hrs, Uda Walawe, Sri Lanka) and wild AfricanN=130 (252hrs, Amboseli, Kenya) calves from ~birth to five yrs. Mothers’ (captive: AsianN=4; AfricanN=4; wild: AsianN=90; AfricanN=105) activities were also recorded to explore synchrony with calves. Captive calves raised by their mothers had similar activity budgets to those seen in the wild. Expected age-related declines in suckling were found in captivity. However, captive calves were more independent than wild calves for their age in distance from mother and spent significantly more time in play. A Decision Tree for whether to breed elephants in captivity was developed; benefits that a calf potentially brings to companions, e.g. multi-generational matrilineal groups, enabling social bonding and reducing abnormal behaviours, were considered against space required for families to grow and divide naturally over time, as well as ensuring that captive-bred males are socially sustained. It was recommended that facilities invest in future enclosure/housing designs which permit: free-access to other elephants; 24hr trickle feeding; juvenile males allowed to stay with their maternal group for longer, encouraging learning opportunities and further retaining age-structure/composition. Conversely, facilities unwilling to house a male or provide appropriate group size/composition are recommended to cease breeding.
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Vu, Maria. "Time- and Dose-related Effects of a Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Agonist and Dopamine Antagonist on Reproduction in the Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) and the Western Clawed Frog (Silurana tropicalis)." Thesis, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/36024.
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The recent decline and disappearance of many amphibians around the world is thought to be the sign of an impending sixth mass extinction that is driven by disease, habitat loss and pollution. Reproductive technologies are now required to establish captive colonies followed by reintroduction into suitable habitats. The AMPHIPLEX method is a hormone mixture that has successfully stimulated spawning in several amphibians. However, its extensive application requires further experimentation and knowledge regarding the basic neuroendocrine control of reproduction in amphibians. The role of the catecholamine neurotransmitter dopamine in the regulation of spawning and gonadotropin synthesis was investigated using multiple time- and dose-related approaches in the field and laboratory. These end points were explored in two distantly-related frog species: the Northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) and the Western clawed frog (Silurana tropicalis). Northern leopard frogs were injected during the natural breeding season with three doses of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-A) (0.1 μg/g , 0.2 μg/g and 0.4 μg/g) alone and in combination with two doses of the selective dopamine receptor D2 antagonist metoclopramide (MET) (5 μg/g and 10 μg/g). Injected animals were allowed to breed in mesocosms in an outdoor field. Time to amplexus and oviposition were assessed, and egg mass release, incidences of amplexus, egg mass weight, total egg numbers and fertilization rates were measured. The results revealed no statistically significant interaction between GnRH-A and MET on amplexus and oviposition. A series of GnRH-A dose-response spawning studies were conducted in the Western clawed frog. The current findings indicate that partial ovulation, male sexual behavior and fertilization can be induced by 4 μg/g of GnRH-A alone and in combination with 10 μg/g of MET. This represents a first step towards understanding basic neuroendocrine reproductive mechanisms in this species. These spawning results were paired with a second end point which explored the molecular mechanisms of gonadotropin synthesis in response to GnRH-A and MET alone and in combination. Pituitary gene expression results in the Northern leopard frog indicate a potentiating action of MET when combined with GnRH-A on the mRNA levels of gonadotropin subunits 36 hours following injection. The postulated mechanisms of action are through the upregulation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 and the downregulation of dopamine receptor D2. Such gene expression pathways were similarly explored in the Western clawed frog, however no significant changes in pituitary gonadotropin and receptor gene expression were present at 12 hours post-injection. The hypothesized inhibitory action of dopamine was supported by pituitary gene expression analysis, but not by spawning outcome. The results from this study provide a fundamental framework for future time- and dose-response investigations to improve current spawning methods in amphibians.
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Stighäll, Kristoffer. "Habitat composition and restocking for conservation of the white-backed woodpecker in Sweden." Doctoral thesis, Örebro universitet, Institutionen för naturvetenskap och teknik, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-46073.
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In Sweden, intense human land use, especially forestry, has led to profound changes in the landscape over time, especially within the forest ecosystems. A consequence of this is that several specialist species have become endangered. One group of specialists is the woodpeckers. The middle spotted woodpecker became extinct in Sweden in 1982 and the white-backed woodpecker is today Sweden’s most critically endangered forest-living bird. The white-backed woodpecker is dependent on old deciduous forests, rich in dead wood. The woodpecker is areademanding and hence one of the best indicators or umbrella species for biodiversity in this region. A long-term goal within the conservation of the species is to be able to make more accurate predictions of what is needed in the species habitat to establish a viable population, both in terms of composition of landscape and breeding territories. In addition to earlier studies better tools are needed for measuring the distribution of suitable and potential habitats and finding faster ways of creating optimal habitats. In an attempt to secure the future existence of the white-backed woodpecker in Sweden, restocking of birds are carried out. This presupposes availability of suitable habitats as well as strong enough landscape. Due to intense forestry the presumption for the species is, as stated above, alarming. Comparing the different populations around the Baltic Sea and Norway, great differences but also similarities can be seen, in landscape as well as in territory composition. It seems that fragmentation of foraging patches as well as amount of dead deciduous wood within the breeding territory is critical matters. Grey alder stands in Sweden should have high priority in conservation of habitat for the species.Funding agency: Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC)
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Davis, Melanie Jeanne. "A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Recent Vertebrate Reintroduction Programs in the United States." Miami University Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1240243937.
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Godoy, Erika. "Effects of the captive environment and enrichment on the daily activity of European Bison (Bison bonasus)." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för fysik, kemi och biologi, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-19925.
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When breeding wild species in captivity, the animals may gradually become more adapted to captivity and therefore less suited for reintroduction which is the ultimate goal for some species. This study measured the activity budget of European bison (Bison bonasus) in six enclosures in Sweden with the aim to find out how the characteristics of the enclosures – with and without pasture - influenced the activity budget. The results show that there were significant differences in the activity budget, i.e. the activity was higher in the enclosures with pasture than in enclosures with barren ground. However, since barren enclosures were smaller than naturalistic, it was not possible to exclude the effect of size. Judged from observations of bison in the wild, there seems to be a direct correlation between food availability and ranging, indicating that enclosure characteristics affect activity more than size. The bison foraged differently in the two enclosure categories, but the total amount of time spent on feeding did not differ. A feeding enrichment experiment showed to have more positive effects in the barren enclosures than in the naturalistic ones, as the amount of time of inactivity decreased in the former. Since the genetic characteristics of all Swedish bison are very similar, the differences between the two enclosure groups indicate that the animals still have the ability to respond appropriately to improved environmental quality. Hence the next step in the assessment of the suitability of these bison for release would be to study them during an acclimatisation program.
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Indraswari, Karlina. "A multi-faceted analysis of Indonesia's songbird trade economy: An evidence based market solution." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2021. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/212523/1/Karlina_Indraswari_Thesis.pdf.
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Tackling wildlife trade requires a multifaceted approach that includes culture, economics, and psychological aspects. Implementing an intervention without considering this underlying complexity could be detrimental. This thesis explores these complexities using Indonesia’s songbird trade to develop recommendations based on evidence. The thesis consists of four sections, first is the identification of priority species groups and regions, the second is the identification of motivations behind songbird keeping and competing, the third is the identification of market demand and the last is the identification of conservation priorities. The thesis recommends sustainable captive-breeding solutions coupled with community support, education, and multi-disciplinary-based monitoring.
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Donaldson, Chad. "Analyzing Factors Influencing Reproductive Success of the Mountain Chicken : Nordens Ark Captive Breeding Program." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för biovetenskap, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-16623.
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Amphibians globally are declining with roughly a third facing extinction due primarily to threats linked to human impacts. One way in which this is being combated is by captive breeding programs. Nordens Ark in Sweden, in collaboration with other organizations, is attempting to breed one of the most threatened frogs for future reintroduction to the wild. The mountain chicken (Leptodactylus fallax) has unique characteristics related to its reproduction which make it challenging to breed successful offspring. Using Nordens Ark’s data on environmental conditions within breeding enclosures, this study attempts to determine which extrinsic factors are having the most influence on reproduction, in order to increase the success of the captive breeding program. Multiple linear regression analysis and model simplification using Stepwise regression and Akaike information criterion (AIC) were performed in order to determine which explanatory variables had the most influence in relation to foam nests. A reduced model with significant values for explanatory variables was deemed the best model based on the dataset. Of the 14 environmental variables tested, minimum temperature after nest construction had the most influence on foam nest length. When compared to wild habitats, temperatures within enclosures may be too high or lack seasonal cyclical patterns. Barometric pressure and humidity also had influence on foam nests, but the relationships between these environmental conditions is difficult to parse. Food supplements were also a significant factor and suggest that lack of vitamins or nutrients can have a negative effect on reproductive success. Ensuring the optimal conditions can be difficult for captive breeding programs, especially as amphibians are under-represented and face biases in conservation and research.
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Martin, Meghan S. "The Role of Mate Preference and Personality on Reproductive Performance in an Ex-Situ Conservation Breeding Program for the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)." PDXScholar, 2014. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2096.
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Successful captive-breeding and re-introduction programs must have the ability to breed a surplus of genetically suitable animals for release into the wild. Unfortunately, many individuals in captive breeding programs often do not reproduce even when they are apparently healthy and presented with genetically appropriate mates. Mate choice can affect multiple parameters of reproductive sperformance, including mating success, offspring production, survival, and fecundity. We investigated the role of mate preference and personality on the reproductive performance of male and female giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) as measured by intromission success and litter production. We conducted these studies on giant pandas at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (Bifengxia, Sichuan, China.) from February-May 2011, 2012, and 2013.
In Chapter 2, we compared reproductive performance between individuals mated with preferred and nonpreferred males of the focal female (female preference), the focal male (male preference), and mutual mate choice perspective. There were four types of reproductive pairings in our mutual mate choice analyses: females and males that preferred each other (P-P), females that preferred the male but the male did not prefer the female (P-NP), females that did not prefer the male but the male preferred the female (NP-P), and females and males that did not prefer each other (NP-NP). Pairing giant pandas with a preferred partner increased the probability of intromission success and producing a cub. Of the 25 females mated to a preferred partner, 72% had successful intromission, 64% produced cubs, and 52% reared their own cubs versus 31%, 12%, 12% for females mated to their nonpreferred partner (N = 16). Male giant panda mate preference showed similar results. Of the 24 males that were mated with their preferred females, 75% had successful intromission, 77.8% produced cubs, and 92.9% produced cubs that were maternally reared versus 31%, 60%, 66.7% for males mated with their nonpreferred females (N = 16). There was a statistically significant difference in intromission success and cub production for P-P pairings versus NP-NP pairings. Of the twelve P-P mate dyads 83% had successful intromission, 90% produced cubs, and 88.9% had mothers rear their cubs. Of the four P-NP mate dyads 50% had successful intromission, 50% produced cubs, and 100% had the mother rear their cub. Of the seven NP-P mate dyads 57% had successful intromission, 50% produced cubs, and 100% had the mothers rear their cubs. Of the three NP-NP mate dyads 0% had successful intromission resulting in 0% producing cubs and having mother-rear cubs. In addition, we took into account various life and breeding history factors that may have affected reproductive performance such as birth location, rearing, previous sexual history with the opposite sex and familiarity status directly prior to breeding. Mate pairings that were familiar with each other as measured by successfully producing a cub in the past, had increased intromission success. Females mated to heavier males had more intromissions and produced more cubs than females mated to smaller males.
In Chapter 3 and 4, we investigated the effect of personality on reproductive performance measurements. Recently, personality of individual animals has been implicated in the failure or success of captive management and breeding of threatened and endangered species. Measurements of personality included novel object tests (where behaviors of individual giant pandas were scored toward a novel object for one hour) and keeper surveys (where the primary keeper rated giant pandas on 23 adjectives describing personality); both measures significantly correlated with variation in long-term and specific mating dyad reproductive performance.
In Chapter 3 we evaluated the effect of personality on long-term reproductive performance. Our results show that for both male and female giant pandas, `fearful' individuals had lower natural mating success and cub production. In addition, `aggressive' female giant pandas had increased natural mating success but decreased cub production. Males did not show these relationships between `aggressive' personality types and reproductive performance. Female giant pandas that were labeled as `aggressive' had higher frequencies of positive mating behaviors but `fearful of conspecifics' females had lower frequencies. Males labeled `fearful of conspecifics' and with high `playful-clever' component scores had a lower frequency of positive mating behaviors.
In Chapter 4 we further investigated the effects of personality within a specific mating dyad. Recent studies suggest that mate compatibility within personality types can improve reproductive performance measurements such as mating success, offspring survivorship, and offspring quality. We investigated the effect of personality compatibility on reproductive performance through analyzing mate dyad similarity in personality (similar versus dissimilar), specific personality combinations, and relative personality scores (male scores higher or lower than female scores). The specific personality combinations were: females and males that were both low on the personality component (L_L), females were low but males were high (L_H), females were high but males were low (H_L), and females and males were both high (H_H). Our results suggest that giant pandas appear to be assortatively mating based on aggressive, fearful, and stereotypical-excitable personality traits. Mate dyads that were dissimilar on the stereotypical-excitable component score were more likely to have successful intromission than pairs that were similar. L_H mate dyads on the aggressive and stereotypical-excitable personality traits had increased intromission success and cub production than all other possible personality combinations. L_L on fearfulness had higher intromission success but not higher cub production than all other possible personality combinations. Mate dyads composed of males ranked high on the aggressive component relative to the female resulted in higher reproductive performance and cub production.
In captive breeding programs, mates are traditionally selected solely on the basis of genetic parameters to minimize loss of genetic diversity and inbreeding coefficients. Our results suggest that integrating genetic with behavioral measures of preference, breeding history factors, and personality would increase the reproductive output of the giant panda captive-breeding program. We stress the importance of considering husbandry practices to accommodate personality traits and ultimately increase reproductive performance in the captive population while simultaneously maintaining both genetic and behavioral diversity.
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Robertson, Louise Mary. "Anthelmintic treatment and digestive organ morphology of captive-reared kaki (Himantopus novaezelandiae) released to the wild : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Conservation Biology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand." Massey University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10179/1001.
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The continued existence of New Zealand’s critically endangered and endemic black stilt or kakï (Himantopus novaezelandiae) relies on an intensive captive management programme. While this is successful at rearing large numbers of birds for release to the wild, poor survivability of these birds is limiting significant increases in the wild population. Predation and starvation are suspected to be the most common causes of death in released birds, but underlying contributing factors to these mortalities have not been fully evaluated. This research investigates the possible contribution of gastrointestinal (GI) helminth burdens and suboptimal digestive organ development to the high mortality rates of released kakï. Emphasis is placed on evaluating the methods used to assess the importance of these factors and to make informed recommendations for future management. The efficacy of the anthelmintic regime used for kakï was assessed by dosing half of the 80 captive birds with praziquantel (PZQ) prior to release in 2007. Faecal samples were collected before and after anthelmintic treatment, and before and after release to the wild. Post mortem worm counts were conducted on 11 birds that died following release and historical worm count records dating back to 1997 were accessed. The main findings were: PZQ had high efficacy against trematodes; treatment did not prevent re-infection; birds were exposed to helminths at release site; and there was no advantage of treatment for survival. Overall, the results suggest that anthelmintic treatment is an unnecessary cost. Consequently, recommendations were made to cease anthelmintic treatment or reduce its intensity, continue health screening, and incorporate annual efficacy testing to monitor the emergence of anthelmintic resistance. The reliability of faecal screening for GI helminths was evaluated. Faecal egg counts (FECs) were found to be poor indicators of worm burden. The two modified sedimentation methods used to detect trematodes provided relatively low egg recovery rates. Trematode egg shedding varied between days but not by hour of the day or temperature. The collection and analysis of pooled faecal samples proved to be more cost and time-effective than samples from individual birds and the larger masses collected resulted in greater sensitivity. In conclusion, faecal analysis of pooled samples is a useful qualitative indicator of helminth presence or absence but is quantitatively unreliable. In order to assess the importance of digestive organ development to captive-reared and released kak?, the digestive organs of healthy and emaciated captive, released and wild Himantopus sp. were compared. Captive and released kak? had generally smaller digestive organs than wild birds, released birds did not increase digestive organ size to match the high fibre wild diet, and emaciated birds did not have atrophied organs. However, the greatest mortality rates occur soon after release, while the birds were still being supplementary fed. These results suggest that reduced digestive efficiency is probably not contributing significantly to mortality rates and the direct impacts of the translocation are probably greater risk factors. The continued provision of supplementary food to released birds and an increased focus on habitat enhancement and predator control at release sites were recommended. The reliability of comparing fresh and formalin fixed Himantopus sp. gut specimens was evaluated. Significant differences in fresh and formalin fixed organ dry masses and variation in preserved organ lengths indicate that this variation should be considered in future studies. In conclusion, current management practices appear to be successful in ensuring that GI helminths and reduced digestive efficiency do not significantly lower the survivorship of captive-reared and released kakï. There is a need for further research into developing a more direct physiological assessment of the impacts of GI helminths and gut morphology as well as considering the role that starvation may have on poor survivability.
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Seeley, Kathryn E. "Evaluation and Validation of Measures of Chronic Stress in Ring-tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta)." The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1492536480829096.
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Whitt, Jeffrey Glen. "The Bobwhite Population Decline: Its History, Genetic Consequences, and Studies on Techniques for Locating and Assessing Current Populations." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2019. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1505132/.
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The northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) population decline is a severe, rangewide phenomenon beginning >150 years ago and continuing today. In this investigation, I: 1. document the timeline of bobwhite population decline and unintended genetic consequences of attempted remedies, 2) develop a model useful for predicting possible locations of potentially sustainable bobwhite populations in semiarid rangeland in Texas and Oklahoma, and 3) examine the relationship between population monitoring data and meteorological factors. While breeding season call counts of male bobwhite have been used for >70 years to provide estimates of fall populations for hunting, most studies of call counts have focused on mathematics and statistical accuracy of the count, largely overlooking the influence of meteorological factors on call counts. Here, I present the results of >4,400 individual point counts and examine their relationship with meteorological variables recorded at each stop. Humidity was positively correlated with the number of birds recorded (ρ = 0.275, p < 0.001) and temperature was negatively correlated (ρ = -0.252, p < 0.001). The number of birds recorded was significantly higher in wet years than in drought years. There was no significant correlation between wind velocity and number of birds recorded. These results suggest that, while weather does influence call counts and efforts should be made to record meteorological conditions when collecting call count data, the influence of weather may not easily factor into the analysis. These results also provide another line of evidence for decreased breeding behavior during high temperatures. With the increased focus on bobwhite habitat management on a regional scale, there is a need for reliable methods to identify potential bobwhite habitat. To identify bobwhite habitat in semiarid rangeland, I performed classification of LANDSAT scenes of Clay County, Texas from July and December 2015. Stands of mature little bluestem provide excellent bobwhite nesting cover and could be identified using LANDSAT imagery. I scored habitat by type, compared these scores with the results of breeding season call counts from 2014 and 2015 and found significant correlation. When used in combination with other landscape data, this approach can provide a regional context to inform conservation and management decisions.
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Jones, Melissa. "Sequence Capture Baits for Genetic Analysis in Anatidae." Thesis, University of California, Davis, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13419913.
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This project aims to develop a panel of sequence capture baits to use for SNP genotyping for pedigree analysis in Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa ) as well as for general population genetic analysis within species in the family Anatidae. SbfI RAD libraries were prepared with samples comprising five duck species (N = 96). Sequenced libraries were aligned to the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) reference genome and screened for 120bp regions proximal to the SbfI cutsite that contained SNPs conserved collectively in each species. A series of screenings identified regions which were used to produce 2,508 custom sequence capture baits. These baits were tested in novel individuals from the same species used to design the baits as well as novel species representing different taxonomic ingroup and outgroup levels within Aves. These baits delineate species at various taxonomic scales, even above the taxonomic level that was originally targeted and will prove useful for analyses of population and comparative genetics for species of Anatidae and perhaps more broadly.
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Brink, René. "How well do buffer circles capture the ranging behaviours of territorial raptors?" Master's thesis, Faculty of Science, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/33229.
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As the world's human population increases, so does the competition for natural resources between humans and wildlife. This competition may be intense for apex predators, such as raptors, which generally require large natural areas in order to maintain their populations. Anthropogenic development within territories can cause individuals to either abandon these sites, reduce their breeding productivity, or cause direct mortality to the territory holding birds. To mitigate such impacts, one method, employed as part of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), is the use buffer circles centred on nest sites. Within these buffers the most damaging forms of development are prohibited. This approach assumes that raptors use the space around their nest in a uniform way, but this assumption may not always be correct and few have evaluated the effectiveness of buffer circles at protecting a species' home range. This study uses tracking data to evaluate the effectiveness of buffer circles to cover the ranging movements of six southern African raptor species, throughout the year, as well as during their breeding and non-breeding season. My study revealed that buffer circles whose dimensions were based on the species' 95% Kernel Density Estimate (KDE) did relatively well at capturing the proportion of individual GPS fixes, but did less well at capturing the KDE area from tracked birds. For buffer circles to capture 95% of the home range polygons (95% KDE) they would generally need to be at least twice as large as those that were derived from the 95% KDE home range area, and for some species with very large home ranges (e.g. Lappet-faced Vultures) even buffer circles that were 3 times the size failed to cover 95% of the KDE polygons.
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Pedrono, Miguel. "Gestion interactive entre les populations sauvages et captives : stratégie de conservation de la tortue astrochelys yniphora à Madagascar." Paris 6, 2000. http://www.theses.fr/2000PA066364.
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Un modèle de gestion interactive (GI) entre populations sauvages et captives a été développé pour la tortue a soc astrochelys yniphora, considérée comme étant la tortue terrestre la plus rare du monde. Cette espèce n'est plus représentée que par cinq petites populations vivant au nord-ouest de Madagascar. Son effectif actuel est le résultat de plusieurs siècles d'exploitation commerciale et de sa destruction directe par les feux de brousse. Deux populations sauvages et une population captive ont été caractérisées au niveau démographique. Les paramètres obtenus ont ensuite été utilises pour construire un modèle d'analyse de viabilité de la métapopulation (MVA) d'astrochelys yniphora, a l'aide du logiciel ULM. L'espèce se caractérise par une sensibilité importante de la survie au stade adulte, due en partie a une maturité sexuelle très tardive. L'effectif total de l'espèce en nature a pu être estime a environ 600 (440-770) individus. En présence uniquement de stochasticité démographique toutes les populations continuent a s'accroitre. Par contre, des événements stochastiques de type catastrophe modifient le devenir de ces populations. Tout dépend de la fréquence des catastrophes, de leur importance et de la période de projection retenue. Si les feux de brousse ne peuvent être maitrises, aucune population sauvage n'est assurée de survivre au-delà des deux prochains siècles. La population captive est beaucoup moins sensible aux catastrophes. La maitrise des feux de brousse doit être la première priorité pour réduire la probabilité d'extinction de l'espèce. Dans un deuxième temps, le lâche en nature d'individus nés en captivité est une stratégie de conservation envisageable. Un essai de lâcher de juvéniles issus d'élevage a montre leurs facultés a s'adapter dans leur habitat d'origine. Il est préférable d'affecter ces juvéniles a un programme de réintroduction plutôt qu'a un programme de renforcement des populations sauvages, et de ne réintroduire qu'une seule grande population, plutôt que deux petites. Les MVAs constituent des instruments d'exploration performants, des lors qu'ils s'appuient sur une bonne connaissance des paramètres démographiques des populations qui les composent. Elles permettent de se fixer des objectifs de restauration a atteindre, et fournissent la réponse probable des sous-populations sauvages et captives aux diverses alternatives de gestion. Mais l'aspect le plus intéressant de l'approche metapopulationnelle intégrant les populations sauvages et captives d'espèces emblématiques, réside précisément dans la synthèse qu'elle propose entre la conservation in situ et ex situ. Au-delà du simple rôle de réservoir démographique et génétique, les spécimens d'espèces charismatiques, parapluies, présentes dans les collections zoologiques peuvent ainsi devenir de véritables ambassadeurs de leur communauté biologique originelle en sélectionnant également les candidats a une GI sur des indices de richesse spécifique de leur communauté, il est théoriquement possible d'accroître considérablement le rôle des zoos dans la conservation de la biodiversité.
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Taylor, Johanna. "From big spots to little spots: Influence of camera trap deployment on spatial capture-recapture estimates of servals (Leptailurus serval) in Ithala Game Reserve." Master's thesis, Faculty of Science, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/33049.
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Servals (Leptailurus serval) face a range of threats which can impact their populations, but we have little information on their conservation status across much of their range. Repeated population density estimates are the most useful parameter for assessing population trends and the impacts of anthropogenic changes (e.g. habitat loss and poaching) on serval densities. These could further be used to establish a correlation between any changes in this population and relevant highlighted anthropogenic influences that may exist with relevance to their conservation vulnerability. However, such surveys for small cryptic carnivores are rare, largely because funding and hence research is heavily biased towards large, charismatic and threatened species. Fortunately, servals and other mesocarnivores are frequently recorded as by-catch in camera trap surveys designed for larger carnivores which offers a unique opportunity to explore the viability of using these 'bi-catch' data for the determination of population estimates of cryptic carnivores. Spatial capture-recapture models are the most robust means of estimating the densities of individually identifiable species like servals. In this study, I investigate whether the ongoing leopard (Panthera pardus) surveys in Ithala Game Reserve can be used to accurately estimate serval density and thus provide the first long term assessment of serval population trend within a protected area in South Africa. To achieve this, I designed a camera trap array to estimate serval density specifically (i.e. smaller intertrap distances and the inclusion of wetland habitat) and ran it simultaneously with a less intensive survey designed to estimate leopard population density in Ithala. The leopard array produced an estimate of 1.73 ± 0.80 (0.76-3.97) servals/100 km2 compared to an estimate of 2.49 ± 0.81 (1.24-4.63) servals/100 km2 from the serval array. In line with standard analysis of the results, the approximately 75% overlap in the 95% confidence intervals suggests the two density estimates are comparable. The inclusion of vehicle traffic (as a measure of anthropogenic disturbance) and vegetation (as a proxy for habitat suitability) as covariates did not improve the serval specific density estimate. Based on these findings I proceeded to use the long-term leopard survey data to produce annual density estimates for serval over a seven-year period (2013-2019). Serval density has decreased from the high of 9.66 (± 2.1) servals/100 km2 recorded in 2014 to a low of 1.42 (± 0.6) in 2018. A similar decline was evident in the leopard density estimates, suggesting that both these two carnivore species are facing some form influence that is threatening their population numbers in Ithala. Recent social surveys in nearby neighbouring communities reveal that snaring and hunting with dogs are both common methods of illegal hunting and such activities may be greatly facilitated in the northern section of Ithala owing the absence of a boundary fence. This study suggests that serval density can be reliably estimated using data collected as part of ongoing leopard surveys in protected areas throughout South Africa. Given the paucity of such data the approach used in this study should be expanded to provide a more comprehensive assessment of serval population status and the generality of the finding that serval density is declining within a protected area previously considered to be a stronghold for this species.
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Jong, Sze Joon. "Iban Ajat: Digitisation framework for the conservation of a Sarawak traditional dance." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2022. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/233171/1/Sze%20Joon_Jong_Thesis.pdf.
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Sarawak Iban's cultural heritage is endangered. Therefore the conservation of its traditional dances is imperative. This study aims to demonstrate how a hybridised research strategy is essential for the conducting of culturally sensitive preservation. My research centres on applications of Motion Capture technology, for the leveraging of observations of the Ajat Dance – through a focus on elemental gyrational manoeuvres. My study does not claim to be a 'panacea'. Rather it showcases the importance of acquiring and incorporating digital oeuvres into one's documentary practices. Through its proof-of-concept involving a 3D simulation, I offer a digitisation framework for delivering decolonised cultural preservation.
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Rivalan, Philippe. "La dynamique des populations de tortues luths de Guyane française : recherche des facteurs impliqués et application à la mise en place de stratégies de conservation." Paris 11, 2004. http://www.theses.fr/2004PA112004.
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La connaissance de la dynamique d'une population est un préliminaire indispensable à la mise en place de stratégies de conservation raisonnées. Dans le cas de la tortue luth (Dermochelys coriacea), la connaissance de la dynamique des populations est encore très fragmentaire en raison de la difficulté d'accès aux individus, tant sur le plan spatial que temporel. Or, face à la chute des effectifs de femelles sur de nombreux sites de pontes du Pacifique, la mise en place de mesure de conservation semble urgente. Nous avons donc étudié les facteurs impliqués dans la dynamique des populations des tortues luths femelles qui pondent dans la région guyano-surinamienne. Nos résultats suggèrent que le nombre de nids est un estimateur biaisé de l'abondance des femelles. En effet, depuis les années 1970, le nombre de femelles augmente plus fortement que le nombre de pontes. Cette différence pourraient s'expliquer par une diminution de l'investissement reproducteur liée aux variations climatiques sur cette même période. Nos résultats confirment que le stade adulte est le stade sur lequel les mesures de conservation doivent se concentrer. Cependant, alors que les captures accidentelles liées à la pêche sur le littoral guyano-surinamien sont supposées être la menace majeure pour la population, les projections matricielles montrent qu'elle semble y être relativement résistante. Néanmoins, la fragilité avérée de certaines populations pacifiques tend à proposer de rester extrêmement vigilant sur le respect de la règlementation de la pêche dans la régionAdequate knowledge of population dynamics is the first step in establishing a successful conservation strategy. In the case of leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), information on population dynamics is patchy because of the limited assess to individuals, either spatially or temporally. Nevertheless, in the face of the decline in several nesting populations in the Pacific Ocean, the initiation of management policies is urgent. Therefore, I focused my studies on elucidating the main parameters that drive population dynamic of female leatherbacks nesting in French Guiana and Suriname. The results of this work suggest that the number of nests, classically used as an index of population size in sea turtle research, is a biased estimator of female abundance. Indeed, since 1970, the number of females has increased faster that the number of nests. This difference is due to the diminution of reproductive investment related to the climatic variations during this period. Our results confirm that conservation policies should focus on adult survival rate. However, whereas the accidental capture of turtles by fisheries on the French Guiana coast appears to be the major threat for the population, the matrix projections reveal that the population is apparently relatively resistant to this pressure. Nevertheless, the demonstrated sensitivity of some leatherback populations in the Pacific Ocean with respect to accidental capture suggests that fishing regulations to reduce accidental capture in the French Guiana and Suriname region are a necessary component to maintaining the leatherback nesting population
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Maurer, Gilles. "Conservation de l’éléphant d’Asie (Elephas maximus) par l’étude des interactions entre humains et populations sauvages et semi-captives d'éléphants : une approche intégrée des dimensions démographiques, génétiques, économiques et socioculturelles." Thesis, Montpellier, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018MONTG011/document.
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Depuis des millénaires, l’éléphant d’Asie joue un rôle important dans la culture, l’économie et la construction des pays asiatiques. Près d’un quart de la population de cette espèce emblématique et menacée est constituée d’éléphants dits captifs. Toutefois, les législations nationales comme les programmes de conservation ont tendance à traiter séparément les populations captives et sauvages. Au Laos et au Myanmar, la tradition d’élevage par les villageois et les interactions entre éléphants sauvages et éléphants de villages perdurent.L’objectif de cette thèse est de qualifier et quantifier ces interactions afin de mieux comprendre leurs dynamiques et leurs rôles dans la survie de l’espèce. Je me suis attaché à décrire les facteurs déterminant le système socio-écologique humain - éléphant de village - éléphant sauvage et sa résilience à travers une approche interdisciplinaire et intégrative.Une étude ethnoécologique a permis d’analyser l’évolution récente du système socio-écologique homme-éléphant au Laos et ses conséquences sur les relations humain-éléphant, les pratiques d’élevage et la perception de l’espèce chez les propriétaires d’éléphants. L'émergence depuis les années 2000 de la marchandisation de la nature et de la restriction de l'accès aux forêts a conduit, d’une part, à la ségrégation entre éléphants sauvages et éléphants de villages, et d’autre part, à l’intensification de l'élevage de ces derniers. Or, la tolérance des communautés à la présence des éléphants sauvages semble liée au principe de réciprocité. Ainsi, les propriétaires ayant accès aux mâles sauvages pour féconder leurs femelles acceptent leur présence contrairement aux cornacs engagés dans le débardage du bois.J’ai ensuite construit un modèle bio-économique pour quantifier les effets des stratégies socio-économiques sur la viabilité à long terme de la population d’éléphants de villages du Laos. J’ai montré que la fécondité est impactée en premier lieu par la dynamique de la population sauvage à travers la reproduction entre femelles de villages et mâles sauvages. En second lieu, le taux de fécondité dépend de l’intérêt financier des propriétaires à faire de la reproduction. Ainsi la viabilité de la population est fortement dépendante des conditions socio-économiques sur le court terme et de l’efficience de la conservation des populations sauvages sur le long terme.Une étude de génétique des populations a montré que la diversité génétique des populations sauvages et de villages était élevée et que ces populations constituaient un ensemble homogène au Laos et au Myanmar. L’isolement des populations sauvages et la ségrégation croissante des populations de villages engendreront un appauvrissement génétique sur le long terme qu’il est possible de limiter par des mesures de gestion favorisant le flux de gènes au niveau régional et entre les deux populations, notamment en les considérant comme une unité de gestion commune.Ces deux études illustrent que la résilience du système socio-écologique est la résultante de multiples facteurs agissant à différents niveaux ou échelles, dont les effets sont parfois opposés.Cette thèse permet enfin de discuter des conditions de la résilience et de la viabilité à long terme du système socio-écologique humain-éléphant et d’explorer différents scénarios futurs en s’interrogeant également sur le possible processus de domestication de l’espèceFor thousands of years, the Asian elephant has played an important role in the culture, economy and construction of Asian nations. Almost a quarter of the population of this emblematic and threatened species consists of so-called captive elephants. However, both national legislation and conservation programmes tend to treat captive and wild populations separately. In Laos and Myanmar, the tradition of elephant handling by villagers and the interactions between wild and village elephants still persist.The objective of this thesis is to qualify and quantify these interactions to better understand their dynamics and roles in the survival of the species. I described the factors driving the socio-ecological system between humans, village and wild elephants and its resilience through an interdisciplinary and integrative approach.Based on an ethnoecological study, I analyzed the recent evolution of the human-elephant socio-ecological system in Laos and its consequences on human-elephant relations, husbandry practices and the perception of the species among elephant owners. The emergence since 2000 of the commodification of nature and the restriction of access to forests has led, on the one hand, to the segregation between wild and village elephants and, on the other hand, to the transition from a traditional to an intensive keeping system of village elephants. Community perception and tolerance towards wild elephants is linked to the principle of reciprocity. Owners having access to wild males to sire their females accept the presence of wild elephants contrary to mahouts engaged in logging activities.I then built a bio-economic model to quantify the effects of socio-economic strategies on the long-term viability of village elephant population in Laos. I demonstrated that fecundity is impacted primarily by the dynamics of the wild population through reproduction between village females and wild males. Second, the fecundity is impacted by the financial incentive of elephant owners tobreed their animals instead of working. Thus population viability is highly dependent on socio-economic conditions in the short term and the efficiency of wild elephant conservation in the long term.A population genetics study showed that the genetic diversity of wild and village elephant was high and differentiation was weak between Laos and Myanmar. The isolation of wild populations and the increasing segregation of village elephants will lead to genetic loss and inbreeding that can be managed by promoting gene flows at the regional level and between the two populations. The study suggests considering both populations from the two countries as a unique management unit. These two studies illustrate that resilience of the socio-ecological system is the result of multiple factors acting at different levels or scales, sometimes in opposite ways.Finally, this thesis allows to discuss the conditions of resilience and long-term viability of the human-elephant socio-ecological system and to explore potential scenarios including the on-going domestication process of the species
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Castagnino, Vera Romina. "Ecological study of the ocelote (Leopardus pardalis) using the camera trap technique, in Las Piedras Region, Madre de Dios-Peru." Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. Centro de Investigación en Geografía Aplicada, 2017. http://repositorio.pucp.edu.pe/index/handle/123456789/119873.
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The study focuses in the ecology and conservation of the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) in the conservation and tourism concession owned by the ARCC. The study site is 11 000 hectares and it is located in the Las Piedras Region, north of Tambopata province, Madre de Dios. Camera traps were used to monitor the ocelot population during a 7-month period (from August 2012 to February 2013), divided in 9 rounds were 73 cameras were installed. The camera traps found 8 independent ocelots, from which only 3 (A1, A3 and A6) were recaptured in more than one occasion. The study did a capture-recapture analysis. The distance traveled by the ocelots from a capture to a recapture site was used to estimate the effective sampled area using the Mean Maximum Distance Moved - MMDM and Half MMDM. The methods yielded a density of 70 individuals/100km2 and 180 individuals/100km2, with full MMDM and Half MMDM, respectively. The study also analyzed the camera trap capture probability with PRESENCE software. Using a closed CR analysis followed by a model of constant capture probability, it yielded a capture probability rate of 0,3 (SE 0,0567). Finally, the ocelot’s habitat preference was also studied using a combination of satellite imagery and GIS software. It was found that these animals frequently use transects aimed for tourists, prefer sites near water and that they avoid bamboo forests.Este estudio trata sobre la ecología y conservación del ocelote (Leopardus pardalis), en la concesión de conservación y ecoturismo del albergue Amazon Research and Conservation Center - ARCC. El área de estudio, de 11 000 hectáreas, se encuentra ubicada en el distrito de Las Piedras, norte de la provincia de Tambopata, departamento de Madre de Dios, Perú. Se utilizaron cámaras trampa para monitorear la población del felino en un período de siete meses (de agosto de 2012 a febrero de 2013), dividido en nueve rondas donde se instalaron 73 cámaras en total. Fueron ocho ocelotes independientes los identificados, de los cuales solo tres (A1, A3 y A6) fueron recapturados visualmente en más de una ocasión. Se realizó un análisis de captura-recaptura. Las distancias recorridas por los ocelotes entre captura y recaptura se utilizaron para estimar el área efectiva de muestreo usando el método del Promedio de la Máxima Distancia Recorrida - MMDM y Mitad del MMDM. Los métodos dieron como resultado una densidad poblacional de 700 ocelotes/100 km2 y 180 ocelotes/100 km2 con MMDM y Mitad del MMDM, respectivamente. Por otro lado, se analizó la probabilidad de captura de las cámaras trampa con el software PRESENCE. Utilizando un análisis poblacional cerrado y un modelo constante, se halló una detección por ronda de 0,3 (SE 0,0567). Finalmente, también se evaluó la preferencia de hábitat de los ocelotes a través de imágenes satélite. Se halló que la mayoría de los felinos usan transectos turísticos, que prefieren las llanuras aluviales cercanas a las riberas de los ríos y cochas, y que evitan los pantanos.
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Dubois, Glenn. "Ecologie des coléoptères saproxyliques : Biologie des populations et conservation d'Osmoderma eremita (Coleoptera : Cetoniidae)." Phd thesis, Université Rennes 1, 2009. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00473556.
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les insectes saproxylophages forment une part importante de la biodiversité des forêts tempérées et jouent un rôle biogéochimique fondamental en participant à la dégradation du bois mort. Le complexe saproxylique européen est aujourd'hui perturbé par les modifications anthropiques des forêts. De nombreuses espèces de ce complexe sont menacées de disparition et leur conservation nécessite de connaître les causes de leur vulnérabilité. Nous avons étudié l'écologie d'un coléoptère saproxylophage cavicole, Osmoderma eremita, espèce qui se raréfie à l'échelle de son aire de distribution et présente de faibles capacités de dispersion. Nous avons suivi ses populations par capture-recapture et pistage-radio. Des mesures complémentaires ont été réalisées au laboratoire (manège de vol). Nos objectifs étaient d'expliquer la distribution de l'espèce dans un bocage, d'étudier ses capacités de dispersion et d'analyser ses autres caractéristiques démographiques. Nous avons révélé l'influence de l'ouverture du paysage et de la densité de microhabitats sur la présence de l'espèce, avec une préférence pour les zones ayant subi la plus faible perte d'habitat en 60 ans. Nous avons mesuré des capacités de dispersion trois fois supérieures à celles alors relevées in natura. Les capacités des femelles étaient liées à leur condition. Les analyses démographiques ont révélé des sex-ratios biaisées en fonction de la population et de l'année. Nous avons démontré le rôle du sexe dans la démographie de l'espèce, facteur qui devrait intervenir dans les analyses de viabilité. De telles analyses permettent de proposer des mesures de conservation d'O. eremita adaptables à d'autres espèces saproxylophages.
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Rigby, Benjamin. "Stormwater Capture in the Built Watershed: Fostering Public Awareness of Water Conservation Through a Parcel-level Approach to Stormwater Management." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2018. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/pitzer_theses/85.
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As California contends with climate change and more extreme cycles of drought and deluge, water management agencies and conservation groups are looking towards solutions to the decreasing reliability of imported water supplies. Stormwater has historically been perceived as a threat to development but when captured properly, it presents a resource that can augment local water supplies. Solutions to water supply issues in California have traditionally employed technical and centrally controlled methods for importing water, but there is a growing understanding that parcel-level capture through vegetated swales presents an opportunity for reducing the impact that development has on California’s hydrology. Vegetated swales mimic nature’s effectiveness in reducing runoff speeds, removing pollutants and increasing groundwater supplies. No less a piece of California’s water infrastructure than canals and dams, these swales bring water infrastructure into the context of the California landscape. My report for the Chino Basin Water Conservation District analyzes the feasibility of installing vegetated swales in the Chino Basin region.
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Marescot, Lucile. "Dynamique et conservation des populations difficilement observables : cas d'étude de la recolonisation du loup dans les Alpes françaises." Thesis, Montpellier 2, 2012. http://www.theses.fr/2012MON20259/document.
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En Europe, la présence de grands carnivores dans des paysages anthropisés entraîne une forte compétition avec l'homme et alimente d'importantes polémiques concernant leur protection légale. La perception antagoniste de ces espèces à la fois emblématiques pour certains et sources de conflits pour d'autres, rend la gestion de leurs populations très délicate. Depuis la recolonisation spontanée du loup (Canis lupus) dans les Alpes françaises au début des années 1990, la population s'est accrue numériquement et spatialement. Parallèlement, les dégâts occasionnés par le loup sur la filière élevage ont suivi la même tendance. L'Etat met en place aujourd'hui un contrôle raisonné de la population, sous réserve que les objectifs de conservation, exigés par la Directive Habitat, soient respectés. En s'inspirant du cas d'étude du loup en France, nous proposons dans cette thèse un cadre de prise de décision structurée adapté pour la gestion et la conservation d'espèces rares et difficilement observables, protégées par des accords législatifs mais qui, dans un contexte social conflictuel, peuvent être régulées. La modélisation séquentielle du processus décisionnel s'est déroulée dans un contexte de forte incertitude selon plusieurs étapes : 1) appréhender les objectifs de conservation et/ou contrôle du loup en France pour les formaliser sous forme mathématique via une fonction d'utilité, 2) suivre la population par une méthode non-invasive pour définir des indicateurs de gestion fiables et évaluer le statut de conservation de la population, 3) coupler les mesures létales adoptées actuellement à un modèle démographique décrivant la dynamique du loup et intégrant sa structure sociale, 4) et déterminer la décision. Cette dernière étape est réalisée à l'aide d'une méthode d'optimisation qui calcule la stratégie optimale de gestion en fonction de la structure sociale de la population et des différentes sources d'incertitude accumulées à chaque étape du processus décisionnel. Nous avons choisi comme indicateur de gestion le taux de croissance, à partir duquel nous avons défini l'utilité. Cet indicateur était robuste à l'incertitude d'échantillonnage émergeant de la détection partielle et hétérogène des individus. Des analyses de sensibilité de la décision ont montré une forte influence de la fonction d'utilité sur la stratégie optimale, soulignant ainsi l'importance de définir correctement les objectifs. Nous avons également montré que la stratégie optimale était sensible aux variations des paramètres démographiques, montrant ainsi l'intérêt des méthodes de capture-marquage-recapture pour les estimer correctement. Nous discutons enfin de l'extension de notre approche à un cadre décisionnel de gestion adaptative pour traiter des problèmes de conservation dans un contexte conflictuelLarge carnivore management in Europe is controversial because of conflictive objectives arising from the legal protection of threatened species vs. the possible necessity of culling individuals to prevent severe damages on human activities. Since the wolf recovery in the French Alps in the early 90's, the population has been numerically and spatially increasing. In parallel, livestock depredations have been following the same trend. As an EU member state, France is bound to the European Habitat Directive, which provides full protection of wolf populations and their habitat. Nevertheless, derogatory killings are allowed for individuals causing problems on livestock and some lethal control is now incorporated into the national management plan, as long as the population growth and its distribution range are not being threatened. Illustrating with the case study of the wolf in France, my dissertation proposes a structured decision making framework for the management and the conservation of elusive species that are legally protected but, in a conflictive context, are subject to population control. The sequential modeling of our decision process occurred in the following steps: 1) define the multiple objectives and formulate them in terms of a utility function, 2) monitor the population through a non-invasive approach in order to define the population conservation status, 3) build a demographic model to predict the consequences of harvesting on population dynamics and social structure, 4) obtain optimal state-dependent decisions. The last step is done with stochastic dynamic programming (SDP), acknowledged to be one of the most useful optimization methods in decision making. We provide an optimal solution for wolf management that gives the highest chance of meeting objectives, defined on population growth rate. This demographic indicator was found to be robust to sampling uncertainty arising from partial and heterogeneous detection of individuals. We ran decision sensibility analyses and found a strong effect of the utility function on the optimal strategy, highlighting the importance of defining explicit objectives. We also found that the optimal strategy was sensitive to demographic parameters, which demonstrate the general need of using solid statistical approaches to estimate them properly. This structured decision making framework can further be extended to adaptive management, acknowledged as being a convenient framework for wildlife management
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Blanc, Laetitia. "Dynamique des populations d’espèces rares et élusives : le lynx boréal en Europe." Thesis, Montpellier, 2015. http://www.theses.fr/2015MONTS045.
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Rares, discrets, fascinants et sanguinaires sont autant d'adjectifs utilisés en Europe pour qualifier les grands carnivores qui arpentent nos forêts. La dégradation de leur habitat et la raréfaction de leurs proies, associées au folklore qui les entoure, ont engendré de nombreux conflits avec l'Homme et les ont menés à disparaître de la plupart de leurs aires historiques de répartition. Depuis, ces espèces ont le statut d'espèces protégées dans la plupart des pays européens. Ce statut est notamment garanti pour la plupart par la Directive Habitat et la convention de Berne. Ces textes législatifs ont permis d'instaurer un contexte favorable pour un retour progressif de ces espèces au sein de nos écosystèmes. Afin de remplir les exigences instaurées par ces différents textes législatifs, il était nécessaire d'améliorer les connaissances scientifiques sur l'écologie de ces espèces et la dynamique de leurs populations. Les pays européens ont ainsi déployé des efforts considérables afin de contribuer à une connaissance globale et à une gestion durable des grands carnivores. Ces efforts ne sont clairement pas homogènes entre l'ours, le loup et le lynx. Le premier enjeu de cette thèse était donc d'évaluer les facteurs pouvant expliquer l'hétérogénéité d'investissement dans la conservation de ces espèces en Europe. Ce chapitre repose à la fois sur des critères écologiques des populations locales et sur des critères économiques des pays considérés. Le premier résultat fort de cette étude montre que l'ours et le lynx auraient un même profil et bénéficieraient du même intérêt pour les scientifiques européens, le loup différant de ces deux espèces. Le second résultat probant révèle que les travaux de recherche seraient davantage orientés vers les populations à forts effectifs plutôt que vers les petites populations. L'investissement scientifique dans ce premier chapitre est en partie quantifié par l'effort investi dans le suivi des populations, qui reste un véritable défi pour les grands carnivores. En effet, le comportement discret de ces espèces, leur faible densité et leur besoin de grands espaces sont autant de contraintes pour leur suivi qui requiert alors d'importants moyens humains et financiers. Le suivi des effectifs du lynx boréal (Lynx lynx), en France, est un exemple révélateur de ces contraintes. Il reposait jusqu'à récemment sur la collecte d'indices de présence indirects. Motivés par la mise en place d'un protocole de suivi non-invasif mais coûteux par piégeage photographique dans le massif jurassien français, nous avons évalué dans un deuxième chapitre une nouvelle méthode d'estimation des effectifs de cette population qui permet d'inclure l'information spatiale dans l'analyse. Cette méthode a permis de fournir la première estimation fiable des effectifs de lynx en France. Cette estimation est fournie néanmoins avec une précision toute relative au vu du peu de données collectées lors de ce suivi. L'écart entre le budget nécessaire pour obtenir un recensement de la population et le budget disponible pour le suivi de l'espèce étant considérable, il a fallu dans un troisième chapitre développer un nouvel outil pour optimiser l'utilisation des données disponibles. La combinaison des données de présence-absence et des données de piégeage photographique a permis d'améliorer considérablement les estimations d'effectifs qui sont, dans le Jura français, plutôt en hausse ces dernières années. La situation n'est pas aussi favorable pour l'espèce dans la région des Vosges. Cette population, issue d'une réintroduction, semble décliner de manière drastique depuis les 5 dernières années. Dans un quatrième chapitre, nous avons donc étudié l'efficacité de deux stratégies de conservation visant d'une part à favoriser la connectivité entre les populations vosgienne et jurassienne et d'autre part à réintroduire des individus dans la forêt Palatine allemande, située en continuité du massif vosgienRare, discrete, fascinating and bloodthirsty are all adjectives used in Europe to describe the large carnivores that roam our forests. Degradation of their habitat and depletion of their prey, combined with these wild and "bloodthirsty" aspects, have led to numerous conflicts with humans and led them to disappear from most of their historical range. Since then, most of them have a protected status in most European countries. This status is guaranteed for most of these countries by the Habitats Directive and the Berne Convention. These laws created a favorable context for a gradual return of these species in our ecosystems. To fulfill the requirements established by these laws, it was necessary to improve scientific knowledge of the ecology of these species and to develop methodological tools to understand the dynamics of their populations. European countries then made considerable efforts to contribute to global knowledge and sustainable management of large carnivores. These efforts, in the case of the bear, wolf and lynx, are clearly not homogenous within Europe. The first challenge of this thesis was to evaluate the factors that might explain the heterogeneity of investment in the conservation of large carnivores in Europe. This chapter is based both on ecological criteria of local species and economic criteria of the countries of interest. The first strong result of this study revealed that the bear and lynx have the same profile and receive the same interest from European scientists, wolf differing from the two other species. The second convincing result revealed that the research would be more oriented towards abundant populations rather than small populations as previously assumed by the scientific community. The scientific investment in this first chapter is partly quantified by the amount of effort invested in monitoring populations. It turns out to be a real challenge for large carnivores. The secretive behavior of these species, their low density and their need for large spaces are all constraints to monitoring requiring substantial human and financial resources. Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) monitoring in France is a typical example of these constraints. Until now, monitoring was based on the collection of indirect presence signs. Recently, a non-invasive but expensive camera-trapping protocol has been settled in the French Jura Mountains. We then evaluated in a second chapter a new method for estimating the size of this population. This method has provided the first reliable estimate of the abundance of lynx in France. This estimate, however, came with a relative precision given the limited quantity of data collected during this session. The gap between the needs for a census of the population and the budget available for the monitoring of the species is huge so we had to develop a new modeling tool to achieve our goal. In the third chapter, the objective was to improve these estimates, optimizing the use of the available data. The combination of presence-absence data and camera trapping data has greatly improved the French Jura population estimates that go rising in recent years. The situation is not as favorable for the species on the Vosges part. This population, after reintroduction, appears to be declining drastically over the last 5 years. In a fourth chapter, we therefore investigated the effectiveness of two conservation strategies: the first one was to instate some connectivity between the Vosges and Jura populations and the second one to reintroduce individuals in the German Palatinate Forest, situated in continuity with the Vosges
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Lieury, Nicolas. "Vers une gestion intégrative des populations animales : l'importance d'intégrer l'immigration à la compréhension de leur dynamique et à l'évaluation scientifique des actions de régulation et de conservation." Thesis, Aix-Marseille, 2015. http://www.theses.fr/2015AIXM4336/document.
Full textAbstract:
Pour limiter l'impact des activités humaines sur la biodiversité, les populations animales sont gérées dans de nombreux contextes. La gestion des populations animales comprend la conservation des espèces menacées, comme l’exploitation/régulation des espèces gibiers ou considérées nuisibles. Elle consiste à modifier la dynamique des populations soit en favorisant leur croissance, soit en réduisant leur abondance. Face à l’urgence d’agir dans un contexte de ressources financières limitées, une gestion efficiente des populations animales requiert une bonne compréhension de leur dynamique en réponse aux actions mises en œuvre. Durant mon doctorat, j’ai travaillé en partenariat avec des gestionnaires agissant sur deux systèmes biologiques : la conservation de rapaces méditerranéens (aigles de Bonelli et vautours percnoptères) et la régulation des densités de renards en paysage rural. Pour chaque système, mon travail a consisté i) en l’analyse des suivis de populations qui sont réalisés pour ii) évaluer l’effet de la gestion sur la dynamique des espèces gérées. Dans les deux contextes, j’ai pu iii) mettre en évidence la contribution de l’immigration à la croissance des populations menacées, comme à l’atténuation des effets de la régulation. Après iv) avoir extrait des recommandations pouvant améliorer l’efficience de la gestion en tenant compte de ces processus d’immigration, mon travail s’est conclu par v) une réflexion en retour sur l’optimisation des suivis de populations, afin qu’ils génèrent le plus d’informations pour un investissement moindre. Dans l’ensemble, ce travail aboutit à une réflexion sur les moyens favorisant une gestion efficiente des populations animalesDue to the multiple interactions linking species together, human activities and animal species influence each other. Animal populations are therefore managed to favour long-term cohabitation. Wildlife management includes the conservation of endangered species, the harvest of game species and the control of species considered as pest. It consists in impacting population dynamics (density variation in a territory) either by favouring or limiting population growth. Faced with the complexity of ecological processes and the urgent need for acting in a context of decreasing allocated resources, an efficient management requires a precious understanding of population dynamics in response to actions. During my PhD, I collaborated with managers supervising two contrasted biological systems: the conservation of endangered Mediterranean raptors (Bonelli’s eagles and Egyptian vultures) and the control of fox densities in French rural landscapes. For each case of study, my work consisted in i) analysing data from population monitoring designed to ii) evaluate the management impact on population dynamics. In both systems, I highlighted iii) the crucial importance of immigration either in boosting endangered population or compensating for fox regulation. After having iv) derived concrete guidelines to improve management facing with immigration. I concluded my PhD by v) searching in turn for cost-effective designs of population monitoring. Overall, I questioned the contrasted systems I studied to understand pitfalls and solutions favouring an efficient management of animal populations
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Gutiérrez, Alexis Theresa. "The Sustainable Seafood Movement : bringing together supply, demand and governance of capture fisheries in the U.S. and U.K. to achieve sustainability." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2015. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:ad3f9e68-0171-4f51-9a08-1361dcf1d6b7.
Full textAbstract:
The Sustainable Seafood Movement's "theory of change" is predicated on using markets to improve the supply of, demand for and governance of sustainable fisheries. Over four articles, this thesis will examine the implications of this approach. Article I evaluates the cultural model of seafood eco-labelling and demonstrates that while the theory of using market demand to motivate fishery improvements has been a powerful incentive, consumers have had a minimal role in incentivising that change. This is validated through semi-structured consumer interviews and structured surveys (n=196), which indicate consumers' general understanding of sustainability issues. Article II examines the roles of actors in the Sustainable Seafood Movement in facilitating the growth of sustainable seafood products in the supply chain, thus explaining how in the absence of large consumer demand, certified sustainable seafood product offerings have continued to grow. Article III examines the private governance mechanisms that the Sustainable Seafood Movement has established in the supply chain and how these are rivalling, complementing and substituting those of state-led fisheries governance mechanisms. At the same time both private and public governance mechanisms continue to monopolise certain spaces, such as flag state authority. Greater coordination between these two governance systems is needed to facilitate additional sustainability gains and strengthen the resilience of these governance systems. When public and private governance efforts to improve the supply, demand and governance of sustainable seafood are looked as whole, as in Article IV, it is evident that consumers/citizens are minimally engaged. Lack of consumer/citizen engagement could lead to an undervaluing of these governance systems by society. Civic engagement organizations are needed to bridge these systems and facilitate citizen/consumer/steward engagement. Public accountability mechanisms are one means to better engage the public in both governance systems, so that sustainable fisheries are realised by collective engagement of all actors.
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Dierickx, Elisa Gwenda Godelieve. "Population dynamics and population genetics of the Critically Endangered Raso lark : implications for conservation." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2018. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/274676.
Full textAbstract:
The Raso lark is a Critically Endangered bird endemic to the islet of Raso, Cape Verde. This thesis investigates two phenomena that particularly put the species at risk: its extreme fluctuations in population size, and its potentially very low genetic diversity arising from small population size and severe past population contraction. More specifically, two chapters estimate year-to-year survival and explore the factors - environmental and individual - that influence it, while two other chapters examine the lark’s genetic characteristics compared to its two continental closest relatives, including phylogenetic relationships and levels of genetic diversity. The conclusion of the thesis then uses these results to make recommendations for the conservation of the Raso lark. Each of the data chapters is summarized below: Chapter 3 estimates adult survival in the Raso lark and tests whether it could be linked to two population phenomena observed in the field: a highly variable population size and a male-biased sex ratio in certain years. Using a dataset spanning 10 years, I estimated survival for both sexes to fluctuate between 0.76 and 0.94 over this period. This is much higher than the survival rate of its closest relative, the skylark. I also found strong evidence for survival fluctuating over time and differing between males and females (with males having higher survival until 2011, at which point the trend inverted), which could play a role in the aforementioned population size fluctuations and male-biased sex ratio, respectively. Chapter 4 aims at understanding which factors shape survival in the Raso lark. Two types of variables were considered: year-dependent (rainfall, population size, population mean clutch size) and individual-dependent (age, body size characters, size ratio with mate, Ase18 genotype). Amongst the year-dependent variables, only sameyear rainfall impacted survival, with a 13% decrease in survival in the wettest year compared to the driest year, making it the most likely explanation for the inter-annual fluctuations in survival found in Chapter 3. Results also hint at some of the individual factors - morphological measurements and Ase18 genotype - influencing survival. The picture that emerges is that of a species whose life history strategy is to invest heavily in maintenance and survival, but less into fecundity, which stands in sharp contrast with the mainland-dwelling skylark. This is consistent with the theory that island birds generally have slower life history strategies than their continental counterparts. Chapter 5 determines the precise relationship between members of the Alauda clade, resolving a node on the phylogenetic tree of all larks that the study by Alström et al. (2013) was unable to resolve. My RADseq results indicate that the Raso lark and the skylark are sister species, and that the Oriental lark is likely to be a subpopulation, or maybe a subspecies, of the skylark. Chapter 6 compares the population genetics of the Raso lark with those of the skylark. In particular, it estimates the genetic diversity of the Raso lark and investigates the drivers behind it. I found unexpectedly high nucleotide diversity in the Raso lark, and explain this by showing that the population contraction that the species underwent was recent enough for most of the diversity to still be present. Moreover, 16% of the Raso lark genome has levels of heterozygosity on average 6.6 times higher than elsewhere on the genome, likely due to suppressed recombination and the existence of a neo-sex chromosome in larks. Despite this, I found high levels of relatedness and of linkage disequilibrium in the Raso lark, two clear genetic signs that it underwent a severe population contraction several centuries ago.
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Thapa, Kanchan. "Ecology of Tigers in Churia Habitat and a Non-Invasive Genetic Approach to Tiger Conservation in Terai Arc, Nepal." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/65007.
Full textAbstract:
Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) can be viewed as a proxy for intact and healthy ecosystems. Their wild populations have plummeted to fewer than 3,200 individuals in the last four decades and threats to these apex predators are mounting rather than diminishing. Global conservation bodies (Global Tiger Initiative, World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, Panthera etc.) have recently called for solidarity and scaling up of conservation efforts to save tigers from extinction.
In South Asia, tiger habitat ranges from tropical evergreen forests, dry arid regions and sub-tropical alluvial floodplains, to temperate mixed deciduous forest. The churia habitat is relatively unstudied and is considered a young and geologically fragile mountain range in Nepal. The contribution of the churia habitat to tiger conservation has not been considered, since modern conservation started in 1970s. This study focuses on the ecology of the tiger with respect to population density, habitat use, and prey occupancy and density, in the churia habitat of Chitwan National Park. This study also includes the first assessment of genetic diversity, genetic structure, and gene flow of tigers across the Terai Arc Landscape- Nepal. The Terai Arc Landscape harbors the only remaining tiger population found across the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal and northwest India. I used a combination of camera-trapping techniques, which have been a popular and robust method for monitoring tiger populations across the
landscape, combined with a noninvasive genetic approach to gain information on tigers, thus adding new information relevant to global tiger conservation.
I investigated tiger, leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), and prey densities, and predicted the tiger density across the Churia habitat in Chitwan National Park. I used a camera-trap grid with 161 locations accumulating 2,097 trap-nights in a 60 day survey period during the winter season of 2010-2011. Additionally, I used distance sampling techniques for estimating prey density in the churia habitat by walking 136 km over 81 different line transects. The team photographed 31 individual tigers and 28 individual leopards along with 25 mammalian species from a sampling area of 536 km2 comprising Churia and surrounding areas. Density estimates of tigers and leopards were 2.2 (SE 0.42) tigers and 4.0 (SE 1.00) leopards per 100 km2. Prey density was estimated at 62.7 prey animals per 100 km2 with contributions from forest ungulates to be 47% (sambar Rusa unicolor, chital Axis axis, barking deer Muntiacus muntjak, and wild pigs Sus scrofa). Churia habitat within Chitwan National Park is capable of supporting 5.86 tigers per 100 km2 based on applying models developed to predict tiger density from prey density. My density estimates from camera-traps are lower than that predicted based on prey availability, which indicates that the tiger population may be below the carrying capacity. Nonetheless, the churia habitat supports 9 to 36 tigers, increasing estimates of current population size in Chitwan National Park. Based on my finding, the Churia habitat should no longer remain ignored because it has great potential to harbor tigers. Conservation efforts should focus on reducing human disturbance to boost prey populations to potentially support higher predator numbers in Churia.
I used sign surveys within a rigorous occupancy framework to estimate probability of occupancy for 5 focal prey species of the tiger (gaur Bos gaurus, sambar, chital, wild pig, and barking deer); as well as probability of tiger habitat use within 537 km2 of churia habitat in Chitwan National Park. Multi-season, auto-correlation models allowed me to make seasonal (winter versus summer) inferences regarding changes in occupancy or habitat use based on covariates influencing occupancy and detection. Sambar had the greatest spatial distribution across both seasons, occupying 431-437 km2 of the churia habitat, while chital had the lowest distribution, occupying only 100-158 km2. The gaur population showed the most seasonal variation from 318- 413 km2 of area occupied, with changes in occupancy suggesting their migration out of the lowland areas in the summer and into the churia in the winter. Wild pigs showed the opposite, moving into the churia in the summer (444 km2 area occupied) and having lower occupancy in the winter (383 km2). Barking deer were widespread in both seasons (329 - 349 km2). Tiger probability of habitat use ' ' SE(' ') was only slightly higher in winter 0.63 (SE 0.11) than in summer 0.54 (SE 0.21), but confidence intervals overlapped and area used was very similar across seasons, from 337 - 291 km2. Fine-scale variation in tiger habitat use showed that tigers intensively use certain areas more often than others across the seasons. The proportion of available habitat positively influenced occupancy for the majority of prey species and tigers. Human disturbance had a strong negative influence on the distribution of the majority of prey species but was positively related to tiger habitat use. Tigers appear to live in areas with high disturbance, thus increasing the risk of human-tiger conflict in the churia habitat. Thus, efforts to reduce human disturbance would be beneficial to reducing human wildlife conflict, enriching prey populations, and would potentially support more tigers in churia habitat of Nepal. Overall, I found high prey occupancy and tiger habitat use, suggesting that the churia is highly valuable habitat for tigers and should no longer be neglected or forgotten in tiger conservation planning.
Thirdly, I assessed genetic variation, genetic structure, and gene flow of the tigers in the Terai Arc Landscape, Nepal. I opportunistically collected 770 scat samples from 4 protected areas and 5 hypothesized corridors across the Terai Arc Landscape. Historical landuse change in the Terai Arc was extracted from Anthrome data sets to relate landuse change to potential barriers and subsequent hypothesized bottleneck events in the landscape. I used standard genetic metrics (allelic diversity and heterozygosity) to estimate genetic variation in the tiger population. Using program Structure (non-spatial) and TESS (spatial), I defined the putative genetic clusters present in the landscape. Migrant analysis was carried out in Geneclass and Bayesass for estimating contemporary gene flow. I tested for a recent population bottleneck with the heterozygosity test using program Bottleneck. Of the 700 samples, 396 were positive for tiger (57% success). Using an 8 multilocus microsatellite assay, I identified 78 individual tigers. I found large scale landuse changes across the Terai Arc Landscape due to conversion of forest into agriculture in last two centuries and I identified areas of suspected barriers. I found low levels of genetic variation (expected heterozygosity = 0.61) and moderate genetic differentiation (FST = 0.14) across the landscape, indicative of sub-population structure and potential isolation of sub-populations. I detected three genetic clusters across the landscape consistent with three demographic tiger sub-populations occurring in Chitwan-Parsa, Bardia, and Suklaphanta protected areas. I detected 10 migrants across all study sites confirming there is still some dispersal mediated gene flow across the landscape. I found evidence of a bottleneck signature, especially around the lowland forests in the Terai, likely caused by large scale landuse change in last two centuries, which could explain the low levels of genetic variation detected at the sub-population level. These findings are highly relevant to tiger conservation indicating that efforts to protect source sites and to improve connectivity are needed to augment gene flow and genetic diversity across the landscape.
Finally, I compared the abundance and density of tigers obtained using two non-invasive sampling techniques: camera-trapping and fecal DNA sampling. For cameras: I pooled the 2009 camera-trap data from the core tiger population across the lowland areas of Chitwan National Park. I sampled 359 km2 of the core area with 187 camera-trap locations spending 2,821 trap-nights of effort. I obtained 264 identifiable photographs and identified a total of 41 individual tigers. For genetics, I sampled 325 km2 of the core area along three spatial routes, walking a total of 1,173 km, collecting a total of 420 tiger fecal samples in 2011. I identified 36 tigers using the assay of 8 multilocus genotypes and captured them 42 times. I analyzed both data types separately for estimating density and jointly in an integrated model using both traditional, and spatial, capture-recapture frameworks. Using Program MARK and the model averaged results, my abundance estimates were 46 (SE 1.86) and 44 (SE 9.83) individuals from camera and genetic data, respectively. Density estimates (tigers per 100 km2) via traditional buffer strip methods using half of the Mean Maximum Distance Moved (½ MMDM) as the buffer surrounding survey grids, were 4.01 (SE 0.64) for camera data and 3.49 (SE 1.04) for genetic data. Spatially explicit capture recapture models resulted in lower density estimates both in the likelihood based program DENSITY at 2.55 (SE 0.59) for camera-trap data and 2.57 (SE 0.88) for genetic data, while the Bayesian based program SPACECAP estimates were 2.44 (SE 0.30) for camera-trap data and 2.23 (SE 0.46) for genetic data. Using a spatially explicit, integrated model that combines data from both cameras and genetics, density estimates were 1.47 (SD 0.20) tigers per 100 km2 for camera-trap data and 1.89 (SD 0.36) tigers per 100 km2 for genetic data. I found that the addition of camera-trap data improved precision in genetic capture-recapture estimates, but not visa-versa, likely due to low numbers of recaptures in the genetic data. While a non-invasive genetic approach can be used as a stand-alone capture-recapture method, it may be necessary to increase sample size to obtain more recaptures. Camera-trap data may provide a more precise estimates, but genetic data returns more information on other aspect of genetic health and connectivity. Combining data sets in an integrated modeling framework, aiding in pinpointing strengths and weaknesses in data sets, thus ultimately improving modeling inference.Ph. D.
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Sharp, Tammy-Ann. "Exploring the potential impact of carbon, capture and storage technologies on the diversity of the UK electricity system to 2050." Thesis, University of Sussex, 2014. http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/51575/.
Full textAbstract:
Creating a diverse and flexible energy system to ensure security of supply is at the heart of UK energy policy. However, despite the apparent interest in the idea of securing supply in this way and the term ‘diversity' becoming more frequently used in this context in government White Papers, policy discourse and the academic literature relatively little attention has been given to exploring what diversity means, how it can be measured, what contribution it can make to different policy objectives and the specific implications for the UK electricity system. Furthermore CCS technologies which are becoming increasingly important to decarbonisation of the power sector in order to meet legally binding greenhouse gas targets set out in the Climate Change Act which raises the question, what are the potential impacts of these technologies on the diversity of the future UK electricity system? To answer this question a mixed methodology of quantitative energy-economic modelling (using MARKAL), scenario analysis and diversity analysis is combined with qualitative semi-structured stakeholder interviews. Data analysis is carried out in two parts. The first assesses the diversity (with a specific focus on the effect of different input assumptions on CCS technologies) of the scenarios generated using Stirling's Diversity Heuristic and creates a set of ‘diversity profiles' which map changes in diversity across each scenario. The second part uses stakeholder perspectives to inform the quantification of diversity across the same set of scenarios providing evidence of the impact of different stakeholder perspectives on the overall diversity of the electricity system.
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García, Navarro Ana Maria. "Patrons d'activitat i proxèmia en l'avaluació del benestar en goril·les captius (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/666985.
Full textAbstract:
Aquesta tesi sorgeix com a resposta als principals problemes de benestar que poden afectar a la majoria d’animals que viuen en zoològics i aquaris. En concret, ha estat motivada per la complexitat que suposa mantenir grans simis en unes condicions òptimes. En aquest context, l’objectiu general d’aquest treball recau en la cerca de models d’avaluació que puguin ajudar a millorar o complementar els plans d’actuació i conservació, ja existents, en goril·les de costa captius. L’estudi observacional sobre les mostres de goril·les de costa es va dur a terme en dues institucions: el Zoo de Barcelona i el d’Apenheul Primate Park (Holanda). Finalment, es van analitzar un total de 303 hores repartides en 5 grups mixtes (4 a Barcelona i 1 a Apenheul) i un mascle dominant solitari. Es va realitzar una comparació transversal entre grups, tractant cada grup com un cas, i una avaluació intra grup, en un grup familiar en els seus diferents estadis (comparació pre-post). Posteriorment es van comparar els nostres resultats amb la literatura prèvia. Així doncs, no es van trobar diferències significatives entre els resultats obtinguts en llibertat en l’estació “High Frugivory” (HF) i els nostres grups estudiats. Això confirmaria que la complexitat dels espais naturalitzats, els grups socials i el maneig que ofereixen les dues institucions zoològiques, asseguren les oportunitats perquè es puguin donar els patrons d’activitat, més ajustats, als observats en els medis naturals. A més, tampoc es van trobar diferències significatives entre l’IEI (índex d’espai per individu) i els patrons de conducta i proxèmia, el què suggeriria que l’espai disponible dels nostres grups, no sembla comprometre el benestar dels goril·les estudiats. En resum, els resultats obtinguts d’aquest treball reafirmen la importància que té la composició i densitat social en grups de goril·les de costa en captivitat, factors que també serveixen com a bons indicadors de benestar. Efectivament, formar grups familiars estables en el temps, amb variabilitat de classes socials i d’una densitat adequada a la qualitat i l’espai de les instal·lacions disponibles, és imprescindible per assolir èxit en la conservació ex situ d’aquesta espècie. Així mateix, la història prèvia dels individus i el rol que exerceixen els mascles dominants, desenvolupen un paper fonamental en la formació i cohesió d’aquests grups.This thesis arises as a response to the main welfare problems that can affect most animals living in zoos and aquariums. In particular, it has been driven by concern about the complexity involved in keeping great apes in optimal conditions. In this context, the overall objective of this work is to search evaluation models that may help to improve or complement the existing action and conservation plans intended for western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in captivity. With this aim, an observational study on samples of western lowland gorillas has been carried out in two institutions: the Barcelona Zoo and the Apenheul Primate Park (the Netherlands). A total of 303 hours of recordings have been analyzed spread over 5 mixed groups (4 in Barcelona and 1 in Apenheul) and a single dominant male. A cross-sectional comparison between groups, treating each one as a case, has been carried out, as well as an intragroup assessment within a family group along its various stages (pre-post comparison). Later, our findings have been compared with those of the previous literature. No significant differences have been found between the results obtained in the High Frugivory (HF) season and the groups studied. This would confirm that the complexity of naturalized areas, social groups and the management offered by the two zoological institutions, can ensure the opportunities involved in the performance of patterns of activity quite similar to those observed in the natural environment. Neither do we found significant differences between the spatial proximity index between individuals and patterns of behavior and proxemics. This would suggest that the available space for our groups, does not compromise the welfare of the gorillas studied. In summary, the results of this study confirm the importance of social composition and density in groups of western lowland gorillas in captivity. Likewise, these factors may serve as good indicators of their welfare. Indeed, the composition of family groups stables in time, with variability of social classes and a social density appropriate to the quality and the facilities available, is essential to achieve success in the ex situ conservation of this species. At the same time, the previous history of the individuals and the role exerted by dominant males play a fundamental role in the formation and cohesion of these groups.
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Hadjou, Belaid Asma. "Démographie et réponses adaptatives des populations végétales aux changements environnementaux." Thesis, Montpellier, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018MONTG034/document.
Full textAbstract:
La région méditerranéenne, hot-spot de biodiversité avec un fort taux d'endémisme, est classée parmi les zones les plus touchées par le changement climatique. La conservation des espèces nécessite de comprendre finement leur démographie face à ces changements, mais aussi leur capacité à s’adapter à ces nouvelles conditions. Au cours de cette thèse, deux espèces végétales rares méditerranéennes ont été étudiées, Centaurea corymbosa et Brassica insularis, en utilisant des modèles mathématiques récents pour analyser des suivis démographiques de long-terme (22 ans et 18 ans). Dans la première partie de cette thèse, des modèles de projection matriciels ont été construits afin d’analyser la variation spatio-temporelle des taux d’accroissement des populations de C. corymbosa. Cela a permis d'identifier les facteurs climatiques clefs qui impactent les taux d’accroissement des populations, et plus finement, les paramètres de survie, de floraison et de fécondité. Une analyse de viabilité des populations a été réalisée sous différents scénarios climatiques. Dans un second temps, une analyse de la capacité des populations de C. corymbosa à répondre à ces changements climatiques a été effectuée avec un modèle de projection intégral. Les changements des traits d’histoire de vie au cours du temps ont montré que la stratégie de floraison observée répond aux variations climatiques en suivant la même direction que la stratégie optimale. Ceci montre que les populations sont capables de s’adapter au changement climatique. Enfin, des modèles de capture-recapture (CR) ont été construits afin de déterminer l’influence de la faible détectabilité des individus sur l’estimation des paramètres démographiques chez B. insularis. Les probabilités de survie estimées par l’approche classique sont inférieures à celles estimées par les modèles CR. Les paramètres estimés par les deux approches sont en général très corrélés, à l'exception d'une population montrant des problèmes d'identification des individus. L'ensemble de cette thèse est replacé dans le cadre de la biologie de la conservation des espèces végétales, notamment en suggérant de prendre en compte leur capacité de réponse au changement climatiqueMediterranean region is a biodiversity hot-spot with a high endemism rate and is classified among the areas most sensitive to climate change. Deep understanding of demography and evolution following these changes is a necessity for species conservation. During this thesis, two rare Mediterranean plant species have been studied, Centaurea corymbosa and Brassica insularis, using recent mathematical models to analyse long term demographic datasets (22 and 18 years). In the first part of this thesis, matrix projection models have been used to analyse spatio-temporal variation in population growth rate in C. corymbosa. Major climatic parameters that impact population growth rate and survival, flowering and fecundity have been identified. A population viability analysis has been performed under various climatic scenarios. In a second part, an analysis of the population ability of C. corymbosa to response to these climatic changes has been performed using integral projection models. Temporal variation of life-history traits showed that the realized flowering strategy varied with climatic conditions following the same direction than the optimal flowering strategy. It can thus be concluded that the studied populations can adapt to climatic changes. Finally, capture-recapture models have been applied on the Brassica insularis dataset to analyse the effect of plant detectability on demographic parameter estimations. Survival probabilities obtained with the classical approach are lower than the ones estimated using the CR models. However, the parameters estimated using both methods are highly correlated, except for one population where individual identification is problematic. Results of this thesis are linked to some considerations in conservation biology of plants, particularly in link to their ability to respond to climatic changes
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Lee, Maeng Joo. "Linking Governance and Performance: ICANN as an Internet Hybrid." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/28062.
Full textAbstract:
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a hybrid organization managing the most critical Internet infrastructure - the Domain Name System. ICANN represents a new, emerging Internet self-governance model in which the private sector takes the lead and the government sector plays a more marginal role. Little is known, however, about what is actually happening in this new organization.
The dissertation (a) systematically assesses ICANNâ s overall performance based on a set of evaluative criteria drawn from its mission statements; (b) explores possible factors and actors that influence ICANNâ s overall performance by tracing the governance processes in three cases based on a preliminary conceptual framework; and (c) suggests practical and theoretical implications of ICANNâ s governance and performance in its broader institutional context.
The study finds that although differing governance processes have led to different performance outcomes (Lynn et al. 2000), â stabilityâ has been the defining value that has shaped the overall path of ICANNâ s governance and performance. The study characterizes ICANN as a conservative hybrid captured, based on specific issues, by the technical and governmental communities. It also proposes the concept of â technical captureâ to suggest how technical experts can have significant, but often implicit, influence over the policy development process in organizations.Ph. D.
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Ficheux, Sébastien. "Dynamique et génétique des populations de cistude d'Europe Emys orbicularis." Thesis, Dijon, 2013. http://www.theses.fr/2013DIJOS068/document.
Full textAbstract:
La dispersion, caractérisée par les mouvements d’individus dans l’espace conduisant à la production d’un flux de gènes, permet la connectivité des populations. L’étude de la dispersion est devenue d’une importance primordiale pour prédire les conséquences des changements globaux sur la structure et la dynamique des populations. Les espèces à dispersion limitées, comme les chéloniens, sont particulièrement menacées par ces phénomènes. Cette étude se propose d’analyser la dispersion chez la Cistude d’Europe (Emys orbicularis), en régression en Europe, dans un contexte de fragmentation d’habitats et de déterminer les causes de ce comportement via l’analyse de la dynamique et de la génétique des populations. Nos résultats montrent, d’une part, que les temps de générations lents chez les cistudes (environ 12 ans) peuvent ralentir les phénomènes d’érosion génétique par dérive. Cette érosion lente est accentuée en présence de grandes populations même en milieu très fragmenté. D’autre part, la sélection aurait favorisée la philopatrie chez les femelles cistudes dans les milieux peu riches en site de ponte et de faible densité d’individus car elles ont un avantage à la territorialité. A l’inverse, le coût à la dispersion diminuerait pour les mâles car ce comportement éviterait la consanguinité. Les cistudes semblent donc très sensibles à la compétition intra-spécifique. En effet, la relaxation de la densité-dépendance des adultes permet un recrutement important de juvéniles. Cette dynamique favoriserait une récupération rapide des effectifs après une importante perturbation, ce qui est surprenant pour une espèce longévive dont les temps de résilience sont supposés lentsDispersal, characterized by the movements of individuals in space leading to gene flows, allows populations to connect. The study of dispersal has become of essential importance to predict the consequences of global changes on the population structures and dynamics. Species with limited dispersal, such as chelonians, are particularly threatened by these phenomena. Our study aimed at analyzing the dispersal of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), in decline in Europe, in a habitats fragmentation context and determining the causes of this behavior through analysis of population dynamics and genetics. Our results show, firstly, that the slow generation time in Emys orbicularis (about 12 years) may slow the genetic erosion by drift. This slow erosion is accentuated with large populations such as Kerkini populations, even with a strong fragmentation. On the other hand, selection would have favored philopatry in females in habitats with few nesting site and deers, because they have the advantage of territoriality. In contrast, the cost of dispersal decreases for males because this behavior allows inbreeding avoidance. The European pond turtles seem very sensitive to intra-specific competition. Indeed, the relaxation of adult density-dependence allows for a significant recruitment of juveniles. This dynamic promotes an unexpected rapid response of the population after a major disturbance, because chelonians are long-lived animals with a late age of first reproduction and very high generation time, therefore, the time of resilience to perturbations is also expected to be high