Vegetation mapping with the aid of low-altitude aerial photography

Abstract. A technique for fine-scale vegetation mapping with the aid of low-altitude aerial photography was developed. The procedure is as follows: 1. The site is divided into a lattice pattern - in case the site is too large to fit into a single photograph with satisfactory resolution. The coordinates of every lattice point are surveyed to be used as control points for geometric correction. A photograph of each block of the lattice is taken using a remote-controlled camera system lifted by a captive helium balloon. 2. The vegetation is classified on the basis of a phytosociological survey. 3. The shapes and locations of vegetation patches appearing in the photographs are entered into a computer, using a digitizer. A geometric correction is carried out through coordinate transformation referring to the coordinates of the control points and subsequently a draft vegetation map is produced. Finally, discrepancies are corrected and the map is coloured to produce the final version of the vegetation map. This technique was applied to vegetation mapping at a bar, 500 m wide and 2 km long, in the river Yoshino in Shikoku, Japan. A fine-scale vegetation map was obtained and used to analyse the influence of plants on geomorphic processes and community-specific hydrogeomorphic conditions on the bar.     

Genetic management of captive prosimian populations,a report of experience withLoris tardigradus

Extinction of small, closed populations in captivity as well as in the wild is believed to be nearly inevitable, because inbreeding will adversely effect reproductive success, mortality, sex ratio and also the susceptibility to epidemic diseases and environmental stress. An ever increasing number of primate species exist only in small isolated populations, which contain only a part of the original genetic variability. In captive breeding programs research about genetic management strategies is, therefore, of essential importance. In 1980 we imported 9Loris tardigrdus nordicus (4 females, 5 males) from NE-Sri Lanka. The founders came from one natural breeding population. All sexual mature females are breeding. Up to now the colony contains 36 living individuals. The main goal of our long-term genetic management plan was to minimize inbreeding and to preserve the genetic diversity. Therefore, we try to pass the founder bottleneck rapidly by enlarging the population to a desired minimum population size of 25 pairs and to equalize the founder representation within any generation. The need to control the spread of sublethal genes, introduced by one of the founders, conflicts directly with the aim of equalizing the founder representation. A solution of this problem is discussed. To produce a sufficiently large population we intend to give animals to other institutions and to build up an exchange-system for offspring individuals, which should lead to an international studbook.     

四川蜂桶寨笼养绿尾虹雉的饲养繁殖

为提高笼养绿尾虹雉(Lophophorus lhuysi)的繁殖能力,2018和2019年在四川蜂桶寨进行了笼养绿尾虹雉的人工繁育研究。8只(3♂,5♀)成年绿尾虹雉分别饲养在4个笼舍中,其中,2个笼舍1雄1雌,1笼舍1雄2雌,1笼舍1雌鸟单养。两年笼养绿尾虹雉共产受精卵16枚,受精率44.44%,人工孵化出雏12只,孵化率75%。孵卵过程中日卵重损失量(Y₁)与孵卵天数(X)之间的回归方程:Y₁=0.375+0.001 X(F=2.995,P>0.05),日卵重损失量与孵卵天数相关性不显著。卵重(Y₂)与孵卵天数(X)极显著相关,Y₂=83.451-0.385X(R²=1,P<0.01)。总之,在现有条件下,建造适宜的绿尾虹雉笼养设施,改进人工孵化条件,是目前提高笼养绿尾虹雉繁殖性能的关键。     

圈养马麝的个性分类

本研究在甘肃兴隆山国家级自然保护区马麝繁育场展开,分别于2012年7月和2013年8月,针对374只圈养马麝,采用基于量表的个性评价法进行评价调查。结果表明:可建立包含17个个性项目的圈养马麝个性量表,因子分析显示每个项目公因子方差和载荷均大于0. 4,各因子累计贡献率为60. 33%,表明此量表具有较好的结构效度。此外Cronbach’sα系数为0. 787,表明量表具有较高的内部一致性信度,量表设计合理;因子分析和聚类分析结果显示,可将圈养马麝划分为五大个性维度:侵略性、社会性、刻板性、温顺性、活跃性。研究发现,圈养马麝个性维度与野生个体的个性类型划分存在差异,主要是受圈养条件和人为干扰等影响。圈养马麝个性量表和五大个性维度的建立对指导马麝繁育管理具有重要实践价值,填补了马麝个性研究的空缺,并为进一步进行麝类动物个性研究奠定了基础。另外,此类个性层次研究方法具有较好区分度,可为其他动物个性的初期研究提供参考。     

Rodrigues fruit bats (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pteropus rodricensis</Emphasis>, Megachiroptera: Pteropodidae) retain genetic diversity despite population declines and founder events

Fruit bats of the genus Pteropus are important contributors to ecosystem maintenance on islands through their roles as pollinators and seed dispersers. However, island faunas are the most prone to extinction and there is a real need to assess the possible genetic implications of population reductions in terms of extinction risk. An effective method of ameliorating extinction risk in endangered species is the establishment of captive populations ex situ. The effectiveness of captive breeding programmes may be assessed by comparing the genetic variability of captive colonies to that of wild counterparts. Here, we use polymorphic microsatellite loci to assess genetic variability in wild, critically endangered Rodrigues fruit bats (Pteropus rodricensis, Dobson 1878) and we compare this variability to that in a captive colony. We document remarkable conservation of genetic variability in both the wild and captive populations, despite population declines and founder events. Our results demonstrate that the wild population has withstood the negative effects of population reductions and that captive breeding programmes can fulfil the goals of retaining genetic diversity and limiting inbreeding.     

The foraging behavior of Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata in a forested enclosure:Effects of nutrient composition,energy and its seasonal variation on the consumption of natural plant foods

In the wild, primate foraging behaviors are related to the diversity and nutritional properties of food, which are affected by seasonal variation. The goal of environmental enrichment is to stimulate captive animals to exhibit similar foraging behavior of their wild counterparts, e.g. To extend foraging time. We conducted a 12-month study on the foraging behavior of Japanese macaques in a semi-naturally forested enclosure to understand how they use both provisioned foods and naturally available plant foods and what are the nutritional criteria of their consumption of natural plants. We recorded time spent feeding on provisioned and natural plant foods and collected the plant parts ingested of their major plant food species monthly, when available.We conducted nutritional analysis (crude protein, crude lipid, neutral detergent fiber-'NDF', ash) and calculated total non-slructural carbohydrate - 'TNC' and total energy of those food items. Monkeys spent 47% of their feeding time foraging on natural plant species. The consumption of plant parts varied significantly across seasons. We found that leaf items were consumed in months when crude protein, crude protein-to-NDF ratio, TNC and total energy were significantly higher and NDF was significantly lower, fruit/nut items in months when crude protein and TNC were significantly higher and crude lipid content was significantly lower, and bark items in months when TNC and total energy were higher and crude lipid content was lower. This preliminary investigation showed that the forested enclosure allowed troop members to more fully express their species typical flexible behavior by challenging them to adjust their foraging behavior to seasonal changes of plant item diversity and nutritional content, also providing the possibility for individuals to nutritionally enhance their diet.     

Introduction of Trojan sex chromosomes to boost population growth

Conservation programs that deal with small or declining populations often aim at a rapid increase of population size to above-critical levels in order to avoid the negative effects of demographic stochasticity and genetic problems like inbreeding depression, fixation of deleterious alleles, or a general loss of genetic variability and hence of evolutionary potential. In some situations, population growth is determined by the number of females available for reproduction, and manipulation of family sex ratios towards more daughters has beneficial effects. If sex determination is predominantly genetic but environmentally reversible, as is the case in many amphibia, reptiles, and fish, Trojan sex chromosomes could be introduced into populations in order to change sex ratios towards more females. We analyse the possible consequences for the introduction of XX-males (XX individuals that have been changed to phenotypic males in a XY/XX sex determination system) and ZW males, WW males, or WW females (in a ZZ/ZW sex determination system). We find that the introduction of WW individuals can be most effective for an increase of population growth, especially if the induced sex change has little or no effect on viability.     

Conservation and behavioral neuroendocrinology

The total number of threatened species of vertebrates is likely to be more than 10,000, with approximately one quarter of the world's mammal species, one eighth of the birds and one third of the amphibians threatened with extinction. The rate of loss of animal species and hence of biodiversity is increasing and may become even greater as ecosystems become affected by climate change due to global warming. Behavioral neuroendocrinology, which considers interactions between behavior and neuroendocrine function in animals from all vertebrate taxa, can contribute to animal conservation. Research with laboratory animals can address questions in basic biology relevant to conservation and develop methods for use with threatened animals. Field work with free-living animals considers the basic biology of new species and the use of endocrine tools to assess the susceptibility of species to threats. Non-invasive measurements of hormone concentrations, especially fecal steroids, are extensively used to assess reproductive function and the stress status of animals in captive breeding programs and in the wild. Biodiversity and natural selection both depend on individual variation, and conservation programs often work with animals on an individual basis. The consideration of data from individuals is essential in conservation endocrinology. Direct contributions to conservation programs are challenging as study situations are determined by practical conservation concerns. Indirect contributions such as the provision of scientific input to conservation plans and participation in public education programs offer significant benefits for conservation programs. Directly and indirectly, there are many opportunities for behavioral neuroendocrinologists to contribute to conservation.     

Successful preservation of capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus L.) semen in liquid and frozen states

Experiments on semen collection and preservation were undertaken by Wroc?aw University of Environmental and Life Sciences and Forestry Wis?a, Poland to assist in the protection of the capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus L.) and to create an ex situ in vitro cryobank. Semen was collected from 11 captive-bred males, using dorsoabdominal massage. Ejaculates once obtained were diluted 3-fold at room temperature with EK diluent and then a number of them were stored at 4 °C for 18, 24, and 48 hours, while the remaining ejaculates were equilibrated with 6% dimethylacetamide and frozen by pipetting, drop-by-drop directly onto a liquid nitrogen surface. Frozen pellets were thawed at 60 °C in a water bath after 4 to 28 mo of storage. In total, 103 individually collected ejaculates (54 stored as liquid and 49 frozen in liquid nitrogen) were of appropriate value for further processing. The volume of ejaculates varied from 30 to 240 μL; spermatozoa concentration from 70 × 10⁶ mL⁻¹ to 1950 × 10⁶ mL⁻¹. The total amount of live spermatozoa in the fresh semen varied from 85.3% to 99.0%, of which from 41.1% to 85.3% were morphologically normal. Among morphologically abnormal forms, bulb-head (5.6% to 36.0%) and midpiece deformations (1.3% to 16.6%) were the most frequent. Dilution and semen storage up to 24 h at 4 °C did not affect the semen quality, as far as motility and sperm morphology are concerned. A significant (P < 0.05) decrease in total live (94.9 vs. 91.7%) and live normal cells (66.4 vs. 56.7%) was observed after 48 h. About 30% to 40% of spermatozoa remained motile. Cryopreservation significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the total number of live and live normal spermatozoa however, in relation to the fresh semen, their average content was 44.1% and 37.4%, respectively. Significant (P < 0.05) individual differences were observed in the quality of the fresh, liquid stored and the frozen-thawed semen assessed in terms of spermatozoa motility and morphology. After a single insemination with thawed semen containing 9.7 million live normal cells, 80% fertility and 100% hatchability were achieved. The obtained results indicate for the first time that there is the potential to use liquid stored and cryopreserved capercaillie semen to support conservation measures for the maintenance of genetic diversity, as well as to increase the number of reintroduced progeny of this endangered grouse species.     

The Welfare of Bears in Zoos: A Case Study of Poland

The welfare of captive bears became a big issue of concern in Poland when a case of a bear being ill-treated became a high-profile case in the media. This case created a challenge to verify, study, and understand the main problems associated with bear keeping so that zoos could significantly improve the conditions in which they keep bears or ensure they keep bears at the minimum required standards. The results presented here are from 1 of the few countrywide studies of captive bear conditions conducted in all the captive institutions in Poland that keep bears. Thirteen institutions kept bears at the time of the study (2007–2009), including 54 individuals of 5 species. Major welfare problems were identified, and the results have been used to challenge zoos to address the changes required and focus the government's attention on areas that require legislative improvement.