The Storm's Stork Ciconia stormi in Indonesia: breeding biology, population and conservation

Storm's Stork Ciconia stormi is one of the rarest of the storks, regarded as globally endangered and found only in parts of western Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Prior to this study, its breeding biology was unknown and the population status in Indonesia was not well understood. Its breeding habitat, prey, behaviour, voice, eggs and the development of the young are described here for the first time. Breeding biology was studied in 1989 at a nest in south Sumatra, Indonesia. The nest was in the transition zone between mangrove and freshwater swamp forest. Incubation took less than 29 days, and two eggs hatched. Fish 2–7 cm long comprised 67% of the prey for feeding young. The chick was fully feathered at 52–57 days and was seen flying when 57–62 days old. The species is rare in south Sumatra. It occurs in low numbers and flocks of up to seven birds were observed. The density is estimated at 20–40 birds within 110,000 ha of primary swamp forest. At this density, the population would be below 100 birds in south Sumatra and between 100 and 300 in Indonesia. The species is threatened by development and conversion of primary swamp forest.     

Integrating population genetics and conservation biology in the era of genomics

As one of the final activities of the ESF-CONGEN Networking programme, a conference entitled ‘Integrating Population Genetics and Conservation Biology’ was held at Trondheim, Norway, from 23 to 26 May 2009. Conference speakers and poster presenters gave a display of the state-of-the-art developments in the field of conservation genetics. Over the five-year running period of the successful ESF-CONGEN Networking programme, much progress has been made in theoretical approaches, basic research on inbreeding depression and other genetic processes associated with habitat fragmentation and conservation issues, and with applying principles of conservation genetics in the conservation of many species. Future perspectives were also discussed in the conference, and it was concluded that conservation genetics is evolving into conservation genomics, while at the same time basic and applied research on threatened species and populations from a population genetic point of view continues to be emphasized.     

Molecular population genetics, phylogeography, and conservation biology of the mottled duck (Anas fulvigula)

The mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) is a year-round endemicresident of the Gulf Coast and one of two non-migratory dabbling ducksthat inhabit North America. To investigate population genetic structureof allopatric mottled duck populations, we collected 5' control regionsequences (bp 78–774) from the mitochondria of 219 mottled duckssampled at 11 widely spaced geographic localities in Texas, Louisiana,and Florida and compared them to each other and to homologous sequencesfrom 4 Mexican ducks (A. diazi), 13 American black ducks(A. rubripes), and 10 mallards (A. platyrhynchos). Weidentified 57 unique haplotypes composed of 665 or 666 nucleotides inthe 246 control region sequences. Of the 665 homologous positions,8.3% (n = 55) vary among haplotypes, and98.2% (n = 54) of these occur within the first351 nucleotides from the 5' end of the outgroup sequence.Neighbor-joining analysis shows a large distal clade (52.5% ofmottled ducks sampled in our study) composed of two reciprocallymonophyletic clades of mottled duck haplotypes, one of which is endemicto Texas and Louisiana and the other endemic to Florida. No mottledducks sampled in Florida occur in the clade composed of mottled ducksfrom Texas and Louisiana or vice versa, suggesting that (1) an enduringgeographic split has existed for many years between east and west, and(2) gene flow currently is non-existent (or at least undetectable)across the central Gulf Coast. The remaining 47.5% of mottledducks sampled in our study branch basally from this derived clade, showsubstantially less hierarchical structure, and fall into various lineagegroups of mixed species composition with no geographic orspecies-specific pattern. Pairwise F _ST valuescorroborate the pattern of strong differentiation observed betweenTexas/Louisiana and Florida. Our findings are consistent with apattern of partial lineage sorting from a polymorphic ancestral genepool reshuffled by hybridizing mallards. Control region data andpatterns of divergence in mallard-like species worldwide, furthermore,suggest that mottled ducks are close relatives of Mexican ducks, and inturn nested within black ducks. Genetic similarities to nominatemallards are less likely to be the product of common ancestry, but theresult of past hybridization with a dichromatic mallard ancestor thatinvaded North America from Asia many generations ago. Our findings haveseveral important consequences for the conservation biology of mottledducks across the Gulf Coast and our understanding of the phylogeographyof mallard-like species worldwide.     

Modelling the depletion and conservation of forestry resources: effects of population and pollution

 In this paper, a mathematical model is proposed to study the depletion of resources in a forest habitat due to the increase of both population and pollution. It is shown that if the rate of pollutant emission into the environment is either population dependent, constant, or periodic, the equilibrium biomass density of the resource settles down to a lower equilibrium than its original carrying capacity, the magnitude of which decreases as the equilibrium levels of the density of population and the concentration of pollutant increase. However, in the case of an instantaneous spill of pollutant into the environment, the equilibrium biomass density decreases with the increase of the equilibrium density of population only. It is found that if the population density and the emission rate of pollutant increase without control, the forestry resource may become extinct. A conservation model is also proposed, the analysis of which shows that the resource biomass can be maintained at a desired level by conserving the forestry resource and by controlling the growth of population and the emission rate of pollutant in the habitat. Received 1 June 1993; received in revised form 1 January 1997     

Genetics and conservation biology

Conservation genetics encompasses genetic management of small populations, resolution of taxonomic uncertainties and management units, and the use of molecular genetic analyses in forensics and to understanding species' biology. The role of genetic factors in extinctions of wild populations has been controversial, but evidence now shows that they make important contributions to extinction risk. Inbreeding has been shown to cause extinctions of wild populations, computer projections indicate that inbreeding depression has important effects on extinction risk, and most threatened species show signs of genetic deterioration. Inappropriate management is likely to result if genetic factors are ignored in threatened species management.     

Range, population abundance and conservation

Several patterns in the distribution and abundance of organisms have now been documented. They include broad (but not universal) positive correlations between range sizes and population abundances; a decline in the proportion of sites occupied and in average population densities from the centre to the edge of a species' range, with either unimodal or multimodal peaks of abundance and occupancy in the core of the range; and intriguing, but still poorly documented phylogenetic effects on both range size and abundance. All these patterns require further work to establish their generality, and all of them lack generally agreed explanations. They are important, however, not only theoretically but also practically, because of the constraints and opportunities they appear to provide for the management and conservation of species.     

Field endocrinology and conservation biology

Field endocrinology techniques allow the collection of samples(i.e., blood, urine, feces, tissues) from free-living animalsfor analysis of hormones, receptors, enzymes, etc. These datareveal mechanisms by which individuals respond to environmentalchallenges, breed, migrate and regulate all aspects of theirlife cycles. Field endocrinology techniques can also be usedto address many issues in conservation biology. We briefly reviewpast and current ways in which endocrine methods are used tomonitor threatened species, identify potential stressors andrecord responses to environmental disturbance. We then focuson one important aspect of conservation: how free-living populationsrespond to human disturbance, particularly in relation to ecotourism.Breeding adult Magellanic penguins, Spheniscus magellanicus,appear to habituate well to tourists, and breed in an area whereabout 70,000 people visit during the season. Baseline levelsof corticosterone return to normal after exposure of naïvebirds to humans. However, penguin chicks appear to show a heightenedadrenocortical response to handling stress in nests exposedto tourists, compared to chicks living in areas isolated fromhuman intrusions. Given that developmental exposure to stresscan have profound influences on how individuals cope with stressas adults, this potential effect of tourists on chicks couldhave long-term consequences. This field endocrine approach identifieda stressor not observed through monitoring behavior alone.     

Training in zoo biology,captive breeding,and conservation

Different types of training in zoo biology, captive breeding, and conservation are discussed and the availability of a variety of programs documented. Emphasis is given to the need for more training in general, and especially for less-developed countries where zoos have much potential yet to be realized. The aims, structure, content, and impact of the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust's International Training Program are examined.     

Survey research in conservation biology

We present systematic arguments for the necessity of field survey in conservation biology. Preservation of biological diversity has become a major challenge in conservation biology, but to comprehend diversity, ecologists have to obtain information on what units the 'diversity' of different parts of the world consists of, where these units are, and how they respond to natural and human-induced environmental change. To reach this end, systematic survey procedures need to be developed that incorporate data collecting, data analysis and conclusions about distributional patterns as well as management recommendations into an iterative process that is corrected as experience accumulates. The appropriate survey design depends on the task and needs to be fixed separately in each case; developing long-term observational systems is no less challenging a task than developing experimental systems in laboratory research, or modeling systems in theoretical research. We conclude the paper with five principles of ecological survey. A common denominator of these principles is the need to make explicit decisions at each step so that errors and insufficiency can be corrected later.     

Quantitative genetics in conservation biology

Most of the major genetic concerns in conservation biology, including inbreeding depression, loss of evolutionary potential, genetic adaptation to captivity and outbreeding depression, involve quantitative genetics. Small population size leads to inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity and so increases extinction risk. Captive populations of endangered species are managed to maximize the retention of genetic diversity by minimizing kinship, with subsidiary efforts to minimize inbreeding. There is growing evidence that genetic adaptation to captivity is a major issue in the genetic management of captive populations of endangered species as it reduces reproductive fitness when captive populations are reintroduced into the wild. This problem is not currently addressed, but it can be alleviated by deliberately fragmenting captive populations, with occasional exchange of immigrants to avoid excessive inbreeding. The extent and importance of outbreeding depression is a matter of controversy. Currently, an extremely cautious approach is taken to mixing populations. However, this cannot continue if fragmented populations are to be adequately managed to minimize extinctions. Most genetic management recommendations for endangered species arise directly, or indirectly, from quantitative genetic considerations.     

中国特有植物长苞铁衫的生物学特性及其保护

长苞铁杉（ＴｓｕｇａＩｏｎｇｉｂｒａｃｔｅａｔａ）属松科铁杉属,长苞铁杉组（Ｓｅｃｔ．ＨｅｏｐｅｎｃｅＫｅｎｇｅｔＫｅｎｇｆ．）,为我国特有树种;现正处在濒危状态,已被列为国家三级保护植物。本文比较系统地综述了长苞铁杉的生物学特性,包括其外部形态、内部结构、染色体核型、地理分布、生长特性及材性、生态学和群落特性等。关于长苞铁杉的分类位置,一直争论不休。作者在比较了各种分类观点后,根据上述特性的分析结果,支持建立长苞铁杉属（Ｎｏｔｈｏｔｓｕｇａ）的主张。最后,文章分析了可能引起长苞铁杉濒危的原因,并提出了两点保护措施。     

Someplace like home: Experience,habitat selection and conservation biology

Recent insights from habitat selection theory may help conservation managers encourage released animals to settle in appropriate habitats. By all measures, success rates for captive–release and translocation programs are low, and have shown few signs of improvement in recent years. We consider situations in which free-living dispersers prefer new habitats that contain stimuli comparable to those in their natal habitat, a phenomenon called natal habitat preference induction (NHPI). Theory predicts NHPI when dispersers experienced favorable conditions in their natal habitat, and have difficulty estimating the quality of unfamiliar habitats. NHPI is especially likely to occur when performance in a given habitat is enhanced if an animal developed in that same habitat type. Animals exhibiting NHPI are expected to rely on conspicuous cues that can be quickly and easily detected during search, and to prefer new habitats possessing cues that match those encountered in their natal habitat.A major obstacle to successful relocations is that newly released animals often reject the habitat near the release site and rapidly travel long distances away before settling. An NHPI perspective argues that long-distance movements away from release sites occur because releasees prefer to settle in familiar types of habitat, and reject novel areas lacking cues similar to those in their habitat of origin. Similarly, a preference by releasees for familiar cues may encourage them to seek out inappropriate, low quality habitats following release at a new location. We review evidence from a number of studies indicating that problems with habitat selection behavior compromise conservation efforts, and provide recommendations that may encourage animals to “feel more at home” in post-release habitats.     

中国特有植物台湾杉的生物学特性及其保护

本文全面地综述了我国一级国家重点保护植物台湾杉的生物学特性,其中有外部形态特征,内部结构包括苗端、叶片、树皮及木材结构,雌雄配子体与胚胎发育,花粉和染色体。此外还有台湾杉的组织培养、地理分布,生态学与群落学特性等。最后,本文作者还初步分析了台湾杉的濒危原因,并提出了具体保护措施。     

Integrating field sports,hare population management and conservation

Conflicts between field sports, animal welfare and species conservation are frequently contentious. In Ireland, the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) competitively tests the speed and agility of two greyhounds by using a live hare as a lure. Each coursing club is associated with a number of discrete localities, known as preserves, which are managed favourably for hares including predator control, prohibition of other forms of hunting such as shooting and poaching and the maintenance and enhancement of suitable hare habitat. We indirectly tested the efficacy of such management by comparing hare abundance within preserves to that in the wider countryside. In real terms, mean hare density was 18 times higher, and after controlling for variance in habitat remained 3 times higher, within ICC preserves than the wider countryside. Whilst we cannot rule out the role of habitat, our results suggest that hare numbers are maintained at high levels in ICC preserves either because clubs select areas of high hare density and subsequently have a negligible effect on numbers or that active population management positively increases hare abundance. The Irish hare Lepus timidus hibernicus Bell, 1837 is one of the highest priority species for conservation action in Ireland and without concessions for its role in conservation, any change in the legal status of hare coursing under animal welfare grounds, may necessitate an increase in Government subsidies for conservation on private land together with a strengthened capacity for legislation enforcement.     

Isozymes,plant population genetic structure and genetic conservation

Summary The exploration, conservation and use of the genetic resources of plants is a contemporary issue which requires a multidisciplinary approach. Here the role of population genetic data, particularly those derived from electrophoretic analysis of protein variation, is reviewed. Measures of the geographic structure of genetic variation are used to check on sampling theory. Current estimates justify the contention that alleles which have a highly localised distribution, yet are in high frequency in some neighbourhoods, represent a substantial fraction of the variation. This class, which is the most important class in the framing of sampling strategies, accounts for about 20–30% of variants found in 12 plant species. The importance of documenting possible coadapted complexes and gene-environment relationships is discussed. Furthermore, the genetic structure of natural populations of crop relatives might suggest the best structure to use in the breeding of crops for reduced vulnerability to pest and disease attack, or for adaptation to inferior environments. The studies reported to date show that whilst monomorphic natural populations do occur, particularly in inbreeding colonisers, or at the extreme margins of the distribution, polymorphism seems to be the more common mode. It is stressed here that the genetic resources of the wild relatives of crop plants should be systematically evaluated. These sources will supplement, and might even rival, the primitive land races in their effectiveness in breeding programmes. We may look forward to a wider application of gel electrophoresis in the evaluation of plant genetic resources because this technique is currently the best available for detecting genetic differences close to the DNA level on samples of reasonable size.     

Forty years of carabid beetle research in Europe - from taxonomy, biology, ecology and population studies to bioindication, habitat assessment and conservation

‘Carabidologists do it all’ (Niemelä 1996a) is a phrase with which most European carabidologists are familiar. Indeed, during the last half a century, professional and amateur entomologists have contributed enormously to our understanding of the basic biology of carabid beetles. The success of the field is in no small part due to regular European Carabidologists’ Meetings, which started in 1969 in Wijster, the Netherlands, with the 14th meeting again held in the Netherlands in 2009, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first meeting and 50 years of long-term research in the Dwingelderveld. This paper offers a subjective summary of some of the major developments in carabidology since the 1960s. Taxonomy of the family Carabidae is now reasonably established, and the application of modern taxonomic tools has brought up several surprises like elsewhere in the animal kingdom. Progress has been made on the ultimate and proximate factors of seasonality and timing of reproduction, which only exceptionally show non-seasonality. Triggers can be linked to evolutionary events and plausibly explained by the “taxon cycle” theory. Fairly little is still known about certain feeding preferences, including granivory and ants, as well as unique life history strategies, such as ectoparasitism and predation on higher taxa. The study of carabids has been instrumental in developing metapopulation theory (even if it was termed differently). Dispersal is one of the areas intensively studied, and results show an intricate interaction between walking and flying as the major mechanisms. The ecological study of carabids is still hampered by some unresolved questions about sampling and data evaluation. It is recognised that knowledge is uneven, especially concerning larvae and species in tropical areas. By their abundance and wide distribution, carabid beetles can be useful in population studies, bioindication, conservation biology and landscape ecology. Indeed, 40 years of carabidological research have provided so much data and insights, that among insects - and arguably most other terrestrial organisms - carabid beetles are one of the most worthwhile model groups for biological studies.